RECIPE: SQUID SAMBAL II

Usually, with Malay or Nyonya style sambals, the use of prawn/shrimp paste or belachan is always prevalent. However, this Nyonya recipe does not make use of belachan and yet, it tastes really nice. I adapted this from Mrs Leong Yee Soo’s book, ‘The best of Singapore’s Recipes: Nyonya Specialities’. The original recipe called for prawns but I substituted it with squid.


Ingredients

1 kg squid (or prawns) - cleaned
½ tin (200 ml) coconut milk
Cooking oil
1 heaped tbsp tamarind mixed with ½ cup water and juice extracted
Salt to taste
1 tsp sugar

Grind the following to a fine paste

115g shallots or red onions
15 dried chillies – de-seeded and cooked in hot water to soften before grinding
10 fresh red chillies – de-seeded
3 cloves garlic
4 to 6 candlenuts
1 large stalk lemon grass – sliced fine (white bits only)


Method

Heat oil (about 5 to 6 tbsp) in a deep pot or wok. Fry the ground ingredients, stirring regularly, for 10 mins. Add a few tbsp of coconut milk and/or water to keep the paste moistened.

Add the squid/prawns and mix well with the paste. Add in the sugar, salt and tamarind extract. Mix well and cook for 2 mins.

Lastly, add the remaining coconut milk, bring to a boil and cook for a further 2 mins. Adjust seasoning if required, turn off heat and serve.

VG's Rating: 3.5 Stars - Only because I like my sambals hotter. This version is quite mild.