I love seafood especially prawns, squids, crabs, lobsters, fish and clams but do not eat meats like beef, lamb, duck and pork. I do eat chicken but once in a blue moon. And out of the many varieties of fishes that can be found locally, I love the mackerel (ikan kembung), the grouper (ikan kerapu), the Spanish mackerel (ikan tenggiri), the threadfin (ikan senangin) and the snapper (ikan jenahak). Although I do eat other types of fishes I have less preference for them.
I have chosen to cook my squids and prawns in sambal sauce. This Sambal Squids and Prawns dish would appeal to those who can eat spicy food. Those who cannot stand food which are too spicy may vary the quantity of chilies used to make the sambal. The sweetness of the squids and prawns when added to the sambal sauce makes the dish very yummy.
Ingredients:
- 10 pieces large prawns
- 10 pieces of medium-sized squids
- 10 red chilies
- 5 dried chilies
- 2 large onions
- 1 piece ginger (1.5 inches)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 5 shallots
- 5 sprigs of curry leaves
- 3 tablespoons of cooking oil
- 1/2 cup of water
- 3 tablespoons of tamarind juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
Method:
- Soak the dried chilies for at least an hour.
- Peel, wash and cut 1 large onion into rings. Set aside.
- Cut off the tip of the head of the prawns and the front legs and de-vein them. Wash them and let them drip dry.
- Remove the skin of the squids, the eyes, the ink sac and whatever that is in the body. Cut the body into rings, wash them and let them drip dry.
- Blend the red chilies, dried chilies, large onion, ginger, garlic and shallots.
- Heat up the oil in the wok.
- When the oil is hot, pour in the blended ingredients.
- Add in the curry leaves.
- Saute them until they are dry and fragrant.
- Add in the water and tamarind juice (add more for a more sour sauce) and let them boil.
- Add in the prawns.
- When the prawns are half-cooked, add in the squids.
- Add in the onion rings.
- Add in salt and soy sauce. (Add more or reduce according to your taste.)
- Dish out when the prawns and squids are cooked.