The Portuguese introduced chilli pepper to
Malacca in the 16th century. Before chilli peppers, peppercorn was used by the Malays to add heat and spice to their meals. The earlier version of the dish known as ketam balado, is a drier version cooked in
balado, a type of hot and spicy mixture originating from
Minang cuisine, of
West Sumatra,
Indonesia. began selling stir-fried crabs mixed with bottled chilli and tomato sauce from a
pushcart since 1956. This was an improvised recipe; the original one did not involve bottled chilli sauce.{{cite web |url= https://sg.reviewranger.co/singapore/chinese-chili-crab/ |title= What is Chinese Chilli Crab? |author= Jenny Nguyen|date= April 10, 2024 |publisher= ReviewRanger Singapore |access-date=October 30, 2025 |url-status=live Weng Fung Seafood Restaurant in the island of Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia was first to offer a chilli crab dish in Malaysia since 1958. Weng Fung was established as a Hainanese coffee store in the 1920s. In the 1950s, the second generation converted the coffee store into a seafood restaurant and added a chilli crab dish to their menu, with the dish still being served today in the establishment. ==Description==