Kung Pao Squids

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Squids has always been your favourite. Other people (like me, for instance) might love prawns but you choose this rubbery seafood instead. This time, I'm gonna share with you another favourite Chinese cuisine of mine called Kung Pao Squids.

I love Kung Pao regardless whether it's chicken, prawns or squids. Dried chilli & cashew nuts are the mandatory ingredients for this special dish. Both ingredients give a balance to the taste - the hot & sweet taste, that is.

If you noticed, though we've eaten this Kung Pao for a couple million of times already (especially at our favourite Pak Ya's restaurant), this is the very first time I've tried cooking it. Since you & me dont fancy chicken that much, I've decided to make a Kung Pao Squids instead.

Kung Pao Squids
Source : Belle du Chef




Ingredients

600 gm squids
10 - 15 dried chillies, cut into 1.5 in length
100 gm cashew nuts
1 small capsicum, largely diced
2 Holland onion, largely diced
2 in ginger, finely pounded
4 garlics, finely pounded
3 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp chilli sauce


How To

Boil 2 cups of water in a pot, add in squids to blanch. Take out and set aside

Heat up cooking oil & stir fry dried chillies at low heat till turn to dark color (not burn) and fragrant. Take out and set aside.

Use the same oil to saute the ginger & garlic till fragrant.

Add in the onions, capsicum & dried chillies.

Add in all the sauces, stir till mix well.

Add in cuttlefish and stir fry over high heat.

Do not add in any salt / sugar as the sauce is already enuff for the taste.

You can add some cornstarch if the mixture turned out to be too watery.


p/s : I've added 2 tbsp of chilli paste as it looks a bit dull without any chilli in it - plus it gives a spicier taste to it.

Ketupat Sotong

In the spirit of Raya, I've decided to cook one of the East Coast's special dish last weekend. As most of other dishes coming out from this part of the country, the basic ingredient would be seafood as it is easier to get the fresh ones from the East Coast.

This special dish is made of glutinous rice stuffed in a squid, cooked in a special gravy and called Ketupat Sotong. As for the gravy, there are 2 versions for as long as I know - Kelantan style and Terengganu / Pahang style. The Kelantan style is of course much, much sweeter as it has Gula Melaka as one of the ingredients. As for the other version, the ingredients are more or less the same except for the Gula Melaka.

I've actually created my very own version of Ketupat Sotong to my own taste & desire. And when I said "to my own taste", it means lots & lots of chillies being consumed. So, rather than the traditional white gravy, my version of Ketupat Sotong has a flaming red hot sauce all over it & without any doubt, it's yummier !

So, here's the recipe :


Ingredients

6 medium sized squids
200 gm glutinous rice
3/4 cup of coconut milk


For The Sauce
A handful of dried chilles
2 stalks lemon grass
5 shallots
2 garlics
1 cm fresh tumeric
1 pc. tumeric leaf
1 cup of thick coconut milk
1 pc. of asam gelugor


How To
1. Steam the glutinous rice with coconut milk & a pinch of salt till cooked. Srt to cool.
2. Stuff the rice in the squid till 3/4 full & close the opening with a toothpick.
3. Blend the chillies, shallots, garlic, tumeric & lemon grass together.
4. Heat oil in a wok & fry the blended ingredients till fragrant.
5. Add in the coconut milk, tumeric leaf & asam gelugor.
6. Put in the stuffed squids & salt / sugar to taste.
7. Simmer till the gravy thickens.
8. Ready to serve.

p/s : Some people prepares this dish using the uncooked glutinous rice but I prefer to cook it beforehand. Reason being, you need to cook the squids for a longer time to ensure the glutinous rice is fully cooked & this may results in an overcooked squids.

Sambal Sotong Petai

I've just realized that I only have 9 entries for recipe out of 110 entries altogether. 9 out of 110 is certainly not a good ratio for somebody who's very passionate in cooking. And because of that, I would make an attempt to post at least 3 recipes a week from now on - even if it's just a so-so recipe.

This time around, I'll start with Sotong Sambal Petai. The above picture is the meals I've prepared @ 5.30 am this morning for my darling Marsya. Only a while ago she called me complimenting on my Sambal Sotong ( yeah...yeah....after being complaining on my cooking for the past two days ).

So, here's the recipe :


Sambal Sotong Petai

1/2 kg squids / sotong
3/4 cups peeled petai seeds

Spices (Ground)
3 tbsp chili paste
5 shallots
2 garlics
1 cm3 belacan (prawn paste)

Seasoning
1/2 tsp sugar or to taste
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 cup asam jawa juice


How To
- Mix the squids with a little bit of tumeric powder & salt.

- Fry under a big flame for 1-2 mins. Dish out.
- Heat oil in a wok. When hot, fry ground spices until fragrant and oil rises.
- Put in petai seeds and stir-fry until it soften.
- Then put in the fried squids & the asam jawa juice.
- Simmer the gravy till it becomes thick.
- Remove from fire when gravy bubbles.
- Serve with hot rice.

Crab & Tanghoon Soup

Feel like eating something soupy for dinner but I cant afford to spend extra hours in the kitchen as I have a baking project awaiting for me tonight. As such, I opt for an instant soup which would definately saves a lot of my time. After checking all the options there in the supermarket....I mean, options for instant soups, I end up with this : Maggi Crab & Tanghoon Soup.

To make it more interesting & not so plain, I've added the Sweet Peas & Japanese Tofu. It turned out to be quite okay actually. Not bad for an instant food....not bad at all. Me & Marsya did enjoyed the soup very much.

Seafood Tomyam

Cooked Seafood Tomyam for dinner tonite. It's for my darling Marsya since she loves tomyam so much especially the one cooked by her mummy! I'm just gonna share the recipe to this tomyam of mine here :

Ingredients :

• 400 gm of seafood (I've used prawns & squids)
• 8 stalks of lemongrass, squashed
• 1 in2 galangal, crushed
• 3-4 kaffir lime leaves
• I big size of Bombay onion, sliced
• 6 garlics, pounded
• 8 - 10 cili padi, crushed
• 2.5 litres plain water
• 2 tablespoons Tom Yam paste
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• Vegetables (carrot, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms)

How To

• Heat oil & fry the garlic & galangal till fragrant. Add water.
• Put in the lemongrass & lime leaves and wait till it boils.
• Then put in the tom yam paste & carrots. Wait for a few minutes before putting in the cauliflower (coz the carrot takes a longer time to get soften).
• Later, put in the seafood & chillies. Followed by the lime juice, onion & mushrooms.
• Finally, the celery and dont forget to put salt & sugar to taste.
• Your Seafood Tom Yam is now ready to be served....enjoy !