SQUID CURRY

I am quickly becoming a fan of Rick Stein and all his shows. He’s not scared of spicy heat, he loves dishes packed with flavour, his recipes consist of more than just salt and pepper. I watched an episode of Rick Stein’s India last night where he made a batch of squid curry. It looked good enough that I wanted to reach through the screen and try a bite.

I only had to make a couple minor changes, and it was ready in 45 minutes. That’s from chipping the chunk out of the coconut and grating it, grinding the spices in the blender, right to letting it simmer and then into the bowl.

It made quite a bit of sauce, so I might add more squid next time. It would be amazing over rice or even potatoes would be tasty!

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Squid Curry

Ingredients

The Masala Paste

• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 fresh serano chili
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 cup fresh coconut grated or finely chopped in a food processor

For the Squid

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 small onion thinly sliced
• 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 in fresh root ginger finely shredded (about 1 heaping tablespoon)
• 1 serrano pepper chopped fine, seeds removed
• 3-4 cleaned squid cut into rings
• ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder**
• 1 small tomato chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
• 1/2 teaspoon Splenda

Instructions

The Paste

• Put the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and fennel seeds into a spice grinder and grind to a powder.
• Transfer to mini food processor and add the garlic, chili, turmeric and coconut and blend to a paste. Add 1/4 cup of water and blend again.

The Squid

• Heat the oil in a sturdy wok over a medium heat, add the cumin seeds and fry for 30 seconds until they begin to pop, then stir in the onion and serrano pepper and fry for 3 minutes. Stir frequently so it doesn't burn.
• Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a minute, then stir in the squid, the masala paste, chilli powder, tomato, salt and 1/3 cup water and simmer for 2–3 minutes, or until the squid is cooked but still tender.
• Stir in the tamarind and Splenda.

Notes

** I didn't have any Kashmiri chili powder, but I did have have dried Kashmiri chilies. I threw about 4, with the seeds removed, into a spice grinder and whizzed until powder.

Adapted from Rick Stein's India