← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 600 g squid, cleaned, cut into thick rings, tentacles kept
• 15 Dried chillies, deseeded, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, drained
• 2 Red chilli, chopped
• 8 Shallot, peeled
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 1 tsp belacan (shrimp paste), toasted
• 5 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 Red onion, sliced into rings
• 1½ tbsp tamarind paste, mixed with 100 ml water
• 1½ tbsp gula melaka or brown sugar
• ½ tsp Salt

Method

1. Blend the soaked dried chillies, fresh chillies, shallots, garlic and belacan with a little water into a fine paste.
2. Heat the oil in a wok over medium-low heat and fry the paste for 12–15 min, stirring often, until it turns a deep brick red and the oil separates and pools at the edges.
3. Add the onion rings and fry for 2 min until softened. Stir in the tamarind water, sugar and salt and simmer for 2 min to a thick, glossy sauce. Taste: it should be hot, sweet and tangy.
4. Turn the heat to high, add the squid and toss for 2–3 min, just until it turns opaque and curls. Take it off the heat straight away so it stays tender.
5. Serve with nasi lemak or plain rice and sliced cucumber.

Tips

• Squid is either very quick or very slow: 2–3 minutes keeps it tender, anything longer turns it rubbery until it has braised for half an hour.
• Make a double batch of the sambal base; it keeps for a week in the fridge and works with prawns or eggs too.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Nomadette Marion's Kitchen MyKitchen101en