Crispy Squid

with Thai basil, chilli, lemongrass, ginger flower and chilli jam

A delicious Thai-inspired dish

This time round, I invite my friend Tim Bartholomew to cook crispy squid in a herb chili jam.

The simple flavours of deep fried squid combined with a thick chilli jam, that has been infused with ginger flower, lime leaves and lemongrass elevate its exotic aroma.

Before frying the squid, Tim uses the cooking oil to marinade the lime leaves, the chilli, the Thai basil leaves and the lemongrass.

Will Meyrick

portions

minutes

Summary

Main Ingredients

  • ½ cup or 90 grams squids, cleaned and slice into stick size
  • 1 cup cooking oil to deep fry

Batter Ingredients

  • ¼ cup tapioca flour
  • ¼ cup sticky rice flour
  • ¼ cup rice flour

Aromats Ingredients

  • 2 handfuls fresh Thai basil leaves, picked
  • 2 pieces long red curly chillies, sliced
  • 2 stalks lemongrass, julienned
  • 7 – 8 pieces lime leaves
  • 1/3 cup ginger flower, finely sliced

 

Sauce Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons chilli jam (see sub recipe)
  • 2 tablespoons chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind juice
  • 1 tablespoon palm sugar syrup
  • 1 piece ginger flower bud, crushed
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, crushed
  • 3 pieces lime leaves

Seasonings

  • Salt
  • Chilli powder

Chilli Jam

For 10 portions

  • 3 ½ cups shallot, sliced and fried
  • 1 ½ cups garlic, chopped and fried
  • 1 cup ebi (small dried shrimp), fried
  • 2 tablespoons galangal, peeled and dried
  • 2 cups dry chilli, fried
  • ¼ cup fish sauce
  • ⅓ cup palm sugar
  • ⅓ cup tamarind pulp
  • Cooking oil to fry

Finely chop shallots, lemongrass and chillies.
Combine with dried shrimp paste, Balinese lime juice and heat up coconut oil until smoking and then pour over the sambal.
Use your fingertips to lightly mix together with the oil. Serve immediately.

 

Blend all fried ingredients together set to one side.

Warm half a cup of the used oil and add the palm sugar and fish sauce.

Add the paste to the oil and continue.

Garnish

1 piece lime cheek
chilli powder

Step by Step Instructions

step 1 : the batter

Prepare your batter by mixing all flours in a bowl.

step 2 : the sauce

Then prepare your sauce, by heating chilli jam, palm sugar syrup, tamarind juice, fish sauce and chicken stock in a pan

step 3 : stirring

When it’s hot add in lime leaves, crushed ginger flower and crushed lemongrass. Bring to the boil and cook further for 5 minutes while keep stirring it. The sauce should be slightly thick. If you don’t have ginger flower, you can substitute it with galangal.

step 4 : deep frying aromats

Heat some oil in the wok, then deep fry your aromats separately.You can start with lime leaves, red bird’s eye chillies, 1 handful of picked fresh Thai basil and julienned lemongrass. For the lemongrass, lightly coat it with flours first before deep frying. Set aside and pat dry on a paper towel.

step 5 : coating and frying squid

Lightly coat your squid sticks in the flours and deep fry as well for about 1 minute. Set aside and pat dry on a paper towel.

step 6 : aromats mix

Before plating, combine the deep fried aromats with 1 handful of picked fresh Thai basil and julienned ginger flowers in a bowl and mix well.

step 7 : squid mix

In separate bowl, combine deep fried squid sticks with salt and chilli powders.

step 8 : plating

Then combine both aromats mix and deep fried squid mix nicely. Drizzle some sauce on the serving plate and arrange squid mixture on it, sprinkle with some chilli powder and garnish with a lime cheek.

กินให้อร่อย (gin hâi a-ròi)

Bon appetit!