Sambal Sotong
Sambal sotong is a signature Malay Peranakan dish which is essentially squid fried with chilli paste. This simple and appetising dish is very common in Malaysian cuisine. The sambal is made of a mixture of chilli peppers, belacan and several spices, herbs and aromatics to bring out the smell and taste of the sambal. This dish is easy to create and goes perfectly with a bowl of fragrant, steaming rice.
This recipe is published in Violet Oon Cooks (page 26), a cook book by Violet Oon.
Ingredients
- 500 g medium-sized squid
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar may replace with gula melaka
- 1 tbsp tamarind pulp aka assam
- 1/4 cup water
Spice mixture (rempah)
- 5 candlenuts aka buak keras
- 10 fresh red chilli sliced
- 1 stalk lemon grass cleaned
- 10 shallots peeled
- 1/2 tsp shrimp paste aka belacan
Instructions
- Pound candlenuts, add chilli and lemon grass and continue pounding to make a rough paste. Add shrimp paste and shallots and pound till fine. #Tip: Alternatively, grind all ingredients in a food processor.
- Clean squid, peel off skin and cut into 2 cm rings. Wash the tentacles and cut away the black ink sac. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Mix the tamarind pulp with water, knead and strain through a sieve to remove seeds. Retain the tamarind water.
- Heat a wok or saucepan. Add the oil and heat till it starts to smoke. Add the ground spice mixture and stir fry lightly till the spice mixture dries up, oil exudes and the mixture smells fragrant.
- Add the salt, sugar, tamarind water and coconut milk and bring to a boil on high heat.
- Add the squid and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat to medium low and simmer for 10-15 minutes till the squid is well cooked and tender. #Tip: You can continue to simmer for 15 minutes more for the squid to become more tender.
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