I love squid but I hate cooking squid. There is just too much work when it comes to squid—peeling off the membrane, removing the ink, and so forth. I had so many “accidents” when the squid ink squirted all over my clothes and face, and it really wasn’t pleasant, and I would smell like a squid no matter how hard I cleaned off the stain. So, as much as I love squid, I hardly make it at home, unless I really have a serious craving for it.
After the confinement, I have been on a binge of eating seafood, so I bought some squid, took the time to clean them (no accident this time!) and made three-cup squid, or 三杯小卷, a popular Taiwanese recipe that I love. (Check out my three-cup chickenRecipe.)
The three-cup squid was fabulous, and I think I really should be making more squid dishes at home.
1 1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or Chinese rice wine
1 1/2 tablespoon dark sweet soy sauce (Kecap Manis)
A big bunch of Thai basil leaves
1 teaspoon corn starch + 1 teaspoon water
1 red chili, deseeded and sliced
Method:
Clean the squid thoroughly, rinse with water. Heat up a pot of water and bring it to boil. Blanch the squid for about 20 seconds. Drain and set aside.
Heat up a claypot on high heat and add the sesame oil. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry until aromatic. Add in squid and do a few quick stirs. Add soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine. Stir the squid to coat well with the sauce. Add basil leaves, stir, dish out and serve immediately.
A few weeks ago, I discovered a Malay meals blog, Selera Malaysia. I love Malay meals as much as I adore my Penang hawker meals (street food), Chinese, and Nyonya foods. One of the signature Malay recipes is sambal tumis or sauteed sambal, which is the building block for several mouthwatering and appetizing Malay and Nyonya dishes. Please welcome Selera Malaysia to Rasa Malaysia as he shares his sambal tumis sotong (squid sambal) Recipe with us.
Being a foods blogger and talking about Malaysian foods, I am glad when Rasa Malaysia offers me to write a post here. It’s a Sambal Tumis Sotong or squid sambal initial suggested by her when she approach me to write on Rasa Malaysia as a guest writer.
For people who are familiar with Malaysian cuisine, there is going to be no further introduction necessary on sambal but for those who aren€™t, sambal can be a chili based sauce, prepared mainly from mixed paste of dried chillies, shallots and garlic. It effortless to cook but need a great deal of practice to make a excellent sambal. The secret ideas of making a delicious sambal would be to sauté the chili paste until finally the paste separated from oil or in Malay until eventually ‘pecah minyak’. Men and women generally been advised to sauté until fragrant, nevertheless this is just to general…
Sambal tumis sotong is simply delicious dish and uncomplicated to prepare. It may be served with boiled rice together with selections of Chinese Greens just like bok choy, kailan/gailan and others.
My cookbook manuscript is due within the next number of days and I am incredibly happy—and relieved€”that I am nearly carried out, well, at least the toughest component: cooking, shooting, writing, recipe testing, and editing. To prep me for the writing element of my cookbook, I have read and researched a lot of Chinese cookbooks inside past number of months. One of my recent favorites is “Stir-Frying towards the Sky’s Edge” by Grace Young.
I’ve been a fan of Grace Young since I very first understand her award-winning cookbook âThe Breath of a Wok” and then discovered “The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen.” Her deep know-how and intense passion for Chinese woks (and stir-frying) are eminently admirable. To me, her investments—both in time and dedication—in these fundamentals of Chinese cooking is way beyond being a cookbook author in fact, she has turn out to be a scholar in my eyes, the ones that I hold high respect and regard for. Even though I grew up eating Chinese food and watching my late mother cooking with a wok, my understanding about these subjects was mostly taken for granted. I’ve never questioned the why’s and how’s, until I study Grace’s books. Needless to say, I have personally learned so much about Chinese stir-frying as well as the wok from reading her books…
My cookbook manuscript is due in the next few days and I am very happy—and relieved—that I am almost done, well, at least the toughest part: cooking, shooting, writing, Recipe testing, and editing. To prep me for the writing part of my cookbook, I have read and researched many Chinese cookbooks in the past few months. One of my recent favorites is “Stir-Frying to the Sky’sEdge” by Grace Young.
I have been a fan of Grace Young since I first read her award-winning cookbook “The Breath of a Wok” and then discovered “The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen.” Her deep knowledge and intense passion for Chinese woks (and stir-frying) are eminently admirable. To me, her investments—both in time and dedication—in these fundamentals of Chinese cooking is way beyond being a cookbook author; in fact, she has become a scholar in my eyes, the ones that I hold high respect and regard for. Even though I grew up eating Chinese food and watching my late mother cooking with a wok, my knowledge about these subjects was mostly taken for granted. I’ve never questioned the why’s and how’s, until I read Grace’s books. Needless to say, I have personally learned so much about Chinese stir-frying and the wok from reading her books…
“Stir-Frying to the Sky’sEdge” is a collection of authentic Chinese stir-fry recipes, shared by Grace and many Chinese home cooks and chefs from around the world. Coming from Malaysia, I am especially delighted to find a Malaysian-style stir-fried shrimp recipe in the cookbook. The chapters on woks, seasoning methods, and stir-frying are resourceful and insightful, especially for those who have just started to learn about Chinese cooking. What’s so special about the book is that it’s the first cookbook to explain in detail all the tips one needs to know to stir-fry with success, including the best oil for stir-frying, cooking in a newly seasoned wok, and more. The book is also chock-full of beautiful and colorful photographs of the recipes, prepared and styled by Grace. I have to confess that I have a serious case of prop envy when I look through her book. I only wish that Grace would live in Southern California so I could borrow her props.
Here is one of my favorite stir-fried recipes in the book: stir-fried squid with black bean sauce. I am on a special diet that doesn’t allow me to consume squid now, but as soon as I can, I am definitely going to try this recipe.
To learn more about Grace Young and her work, please check out her site: graceyoung.com. If you wish to buy “Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge,” please click here. To connect with Grace on Twitter, follow her at @stirfrygrace.
Stir-Fried Squid with BlackBeanSauce Recipe
Source: Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge, Grace Young
Serves 2 as a main dish with rice or 4 as part of a multicourse meal
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh cleaned squid
2 tablespoons chicken broth
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1∕2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fermented black beans, rinsed and mashed
1 tablespoon chopped scallion, white part only
1 tablespoon thinly sliced garlic
3∕4 cup thinly sliced onions
2 teaspoons finely shredded ginger
1∕2 cup julienned red bell peppers
1∕4 teaspoon salt
1∕8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry
12 snow peas, strings removed
Method：
1. Cut each squid body in half lengthwise. Using a very sharp knife, lightly score the inside of the bodies in a crisscross pattern. Cut the squid into 11∕2-inch squares and the tentacles into 2-inch pieces.
2. In a 2-quart saucepan bring 1 quart water to a boil covered over high heat. Add the squid and blanch 10 seconds or until the squid turns opaque and curls. Drain well in a colander, shaking out all the excess water. Set the squid on paper towels and blot dry to remove excess moisture. In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of the broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. In another small bowl combine the sesame oil, cornstarch, and the remaining 1 tablespoon broth.
3. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in the peanut oil, add the fermented black beans, scallion, and garlic and stir-fry 10 seconds or until the aromatics are fragrant. Add the onions and ginger and stir-fry 1 minute or until the onions just wilt. Add the bell peppers, sprinkle on the salt and pepper, and stir-fry 30 seconds or until the bell pepper begins to soften. Add the rice wine and stir-fry 20 seconds or until just combined. Add the squid and snow peas to the wok, swirl in the soy sauce mixture, and stir-fry 1 minute or until the snow peas are bright green. Restir the cornstarch mixture, swirl it into the wok, and stir-fry 30 seconds or until the squid is just cooked.
