C
Contrarian
SAMBAL SOTONG
Malay for stir-friend Chilli Squid rings. Great for winter - serve with white rice.
Serves: 3 to 4 as part of a meal
This is a simple Malay family dish. Here's a simple tip - I always save any left over gravy/chilli oil. It's great to make fried rice with.
Ingredients
500g squid, small or medium-sized
1 tbsp tamarind pulp (assam)
1⁄4 cup water
1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup coconut milk
1⁄2 tsp salt
3 to 4 kaffir lime leaves (daun limau purut)
4 tbsp vegetable oil
Spice Mixture
5 candlenuts (buah keras)
10 fresh red chillies
1 stalk lemon grass (serai)
10 shallots, peeled
1⁄2 tsp shrimp paste (belacan)
Method
For Spice Mixture:
Wash candlenuts, drain. Discard chilli stalks and slice roughly. Clean lemon grass and use only bottom 5 to 6 cm. Slice lemon grass and shallots roughly. Pound candle-nuts, add chillies and lemon grass and continue pounding to make a rough paste. Add shrimp paste and shallots and pound till fine. Or grind all ingredients in a food processor.
Clean squid, peel off skin and cut into 2 cm rings. Wash the head, and make sure you cut off the ink sac without piercing into the sac as this will prevent the ink from spurting out. Use both the body and the head.
Mix tamarind pulp with water, knead and strain through a sieve to remove seeds. Retain tamarind water.
Heat oil in a wok or small saucepan and when it is hot, add the spice paste and stir fry over medium heat till the mixture is fragrant and the oil exudes. Takes about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add squid, and all the other ingredients and simmer gently till the gravy is thick and the squid is cooked.
Malay for stir-friend Chilli Squid rings. Great for winter - serve with white rice.
Serves: 3 to 4 as part of a meal
This is a simple Malay family dish. Here's a simple tip - I always save any left over gravy/chilli oil. It's great to make fried rice with.
Ingredients
500g squid, small or medium-sized
1 tbsp tamarind pulp (assam)
1⁄4 cup water
1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup coconut milk
1⁄2 tsp salt
3 to 4 kaffir lime leaves (daun limau purut)
4 tbsp vegetable oil
Spice Mixture
5 candlenuts (buah keras)
10 fresh red chillies
1 stalk lemon grass (serai)
10 shallots, peeled
1⁄2 tsp shrimp paste (belacan)
Method
For Spice Mixture:
Wash candlenuts, drain. Discard chilli stalks and slice roughly. Clean lemon grass and use only bottom 5 to 6 cm. Slice lemon grass and shallots roughly. Pound candle-nuts, add chillies and lemon grass and continue pounding to make a rough paste. Add shrimp paste and shallots and pound till fine. Or grind all ingredients in a food processor.
Clean squid, peel off skin and cut into 2 cm rings. Wash the head, and make sure you cut off the ink sac without piercing into the sac as this will prevent the ink from spurting out. Use both the body and the head.
Mix tamarind pulp with water, knead and strain through a sieve to remove seeds. Retain tamarind water.
Heat oil in a wok or small saucepan and when it is hot, add the spice paste and stir fry over medium heat till the mixture is fragrant and the oil exudes. Takes about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add squid, and all the other ingredients and simmer gently till the gravy is thick and the squid is cooked.
