SAMBAL SOTONG RECIPE

- FRIED CUTTLEFISH IN SAMBAL SAUCE -

NYONYA RECIPE

Fried sambal dishes such as this - cuttlefish or squid in sambal sauce - should be eaten with rice, accompanied by blander or milder dishes and crisp salads. Nyonya fried sambals are not enriched with coconut milk but rather have a tamarind-sour base. This is essentially the difference between the Javanese-Malay origin of this dish and the Nyonya style.

Ingredients :

500g	Small cuttlefish, cleaned and body and tentacles cut into two or four
75ml	Tamarind water
1 stalk	Lemongrass, finely sliced
4 tbsp	Cooking oil
1 tbsp	Brown sugar
-	Salt
Spice Paste Ingredients
10 pieces	Dried chilies, seeded, soaked in warm water till soft & squeezed dry
1 piece	Shrimp paste, approx. 2 x 2cm
4 pieces	Candlenuts or raw almond or macadamia nuts, smashed
10 stalks	Shallots, sliced

Method :

Prepare spice paste by pounding the chilies in a mortar and pestle, then add the rest of the spices in the order they appear, pounding each one as you add them.
Heat oil in a wok, then add in the spice paste and the lemongrass and stir-fry until the mixture is fragrant.
Add in the cuttlefish or squid and continue stir-fry until coated and sealed.
Lower heat, pour in the tamarind water, sugar and salt, stir-fry until the gravy turns thick and oily and the cuttlefish is cooked through.

Asian Melting Pot

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Cooking Wisdom: This recipe works well for shelled and deveined shrimps. For variation, add 2 small peeled and chopped tomatoes to the wok after the spice paste becomes fragrant. Cook them to a thick puree before adding the tamarind water. You may not need quite so much tamarind water.