Images Stuffed Squid with Rice in Lemony Tomato Sauce

Stuffed Squid with Rice slathered in Lemony Sauce

I light up when I see fresh seafood in large sizes - big prawns, big squid, big crabs! It's like being in underwater wonderland. I don't buy it often but when I do, I get as excited and cheerful as Mr. Krabs when he sees a dollar.

With two large squids in my shopping bag the other day...

In me best pirate voice:"Arr...what shall I do with you, calamari beauty?"

I decided to make a one-dish wonder - stuffed squid covered in rich lemony tomato sauce. We eat rice almost on a daily basis. I'm used to cooking several side dishes to go along with it. So, I wouldn't consider this too much work. The only difference? It's all going to be served on one plate!

Check out the recipe below for my version of stuffed squid.

Stuffed Squid
Ingredients:
- 2 whole 8-inch squid (cleaned)
- 3 cups hot water
- 1 tsp cooking oil
- Fried Rice (Recipe below)
- Lemony Tomato Sauce (Recipe below)
- 2 toothpicks

How-to:
1) Plunge squid into hot water and remove quickly.
The goal is not to cook it. I do it so that there's less water seeping out from the squid when it's baking midway. It also makes it easier to stuff.

2) Stuff squid with fried rice.

3) Use toothpicks to pin the squid head back on. Make small cuts on top of the squid (shown in the photo below).

4) Place squid on a greased baking dish. Baste squid with cooking oil.

5) Bake uncovered in a pre-heated oven at 160c for 15 minutes more or less until the squid is cooked.

6) Pour lemon tomato sauce over baked squids before serving.

Stuffing Squid with Fried Rice

Make small cuts across the top and toothpick the head on

Once the squid is out of the oven, pour sauce over and serve

Stuffed Squid - A Meal For One

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Lemony Tomato Sauce

Lemon Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped) 
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 2 medium tomatoes (quartered)
- ¼ lemon (for juice and zest)
- ¼ water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp cornflour (mix with water, into watery paste)
- 1 handful chopped fresh coriander
- 1 tbsp cooking oil

How-to:
1) Heat oil in pan. Add onions and garlic. Fry until lightly browned.
2) Add tomatoes, water and sugar. Scrape some lemon zest in, then squeeze lemon juice into the mix. Stir well and cook until tomatoes look smashed.
3) Season with a pinch of salt.
4) Turn the heat off and stir in the cornflour.
5) Add fresh coriander. Mix well.
6) Serve on top of baked stuffed squid.

Fried Rice with Button Mushrooms and Lemon Zest

Fried Rice
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked white rice (enough to stuff 3/4 of two squids)
- ¼ canned button mushrooms (out of 425g can)
- 1 handful thinly sliced beef strips
- 1 clove garlic (chopped)
- 1 red chili (chopped)
- Lemon zest
- ½ tsp dark soy sauce
- Pinch of salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 stalk fresh coriander (chopped)
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- A bit of water

How-to:
1) Heat oil in pan. Fry garlic until lightly browned.
2) Add mushrooms, chili and beef strips. Stir until beef strips are cooked. Add soy sauce and a bit of water (enough to help coat the rice brown). Then, add white rice.
3) Season with salt, pepper and lemon zest. Mix well.
4) Turn the heat off. Add fresh coriander and mix well.
5) Stuff this rice into the squid.

Images Hot and Sour Seafood Soup

The wet weather has been prompting cravings for hot soup to alleviate the chilliness I feel.

I have kiam chye boey, that sour spicy "leftovers" stew, on my mind but cooking that would take three hours at least! Surely too long a wait for this poor soul....and so came about the inspiration for a shortcut, using only some of the key ingredients from the traditional kiam chye boey dish and without the long stew.

Here's what came out of the pot at the end of it all - a clear sour and spicy soup with robust flavours that zapped my senses alert. This was so delicious that I had seconds...SECONDS! Just the perfect thing to have in this cold weather. BrrRrrr...no more!
    

Hot and Sour Seafood Soup

Hot and Sour Seafood Soup

Ingredients :
- 3 pcs asam keping (tamarind peel)
- 2 pcs sour plum (bottled) 
- 6 green bird's eye chili (seeded and halved)
- ½ large carrot (cut into medium cubes)
- 1 large tomato (quartered)
- 1 rib celery (chopped)
- 1 clove garlic (chopped)
- 1.5 L water
- 1 tsp cooking oil
- Fried fish cakes (2 varieties - the kind for soups)
   ~ 1 palm-sized flat square piece (cut into smaller squares)
   ~ 1 rectangular roll, about 3 inches long (sliced)
- 10 baby squids  
- Salt to taste

How-to:
1) Heat oil in electrical cooker (that's what I'm using). Add garlic and give it a quick stir-fry.

2) Add tomatoes, carrots, bird's eye chili, tamarind peel and sour plums. Mix well.

3) Add water and bring to a boil. 

4) Once it boils, add the ribbed stem parts of the celery into the pot (leave the leafy parts for last).

5) Cook covered until tomatoes and carrots are tender (which was between 30-45 minutes for me because I wanted more flavour in the soup). 

6) Then, add fish cakes and the remainder of the celery. Season with salt and stir well. Lastly, add the squid. You are done when that is cooked.

Images Stir Fried Water Apples with Squid and Cabbage

Water apples are known by many names. We call it wax jambu in my household.

I love cooking with fruits and had a little kitchen fun experimenting with water apples when a friend gave some to us.

Water apples aren't as sweet as most fruits but it is juicy so it makes more sense to stir fry it than to attempt baking it with something.

Anyway, here's what I did. Simple, but the outcome was tasty. My other half, the one person who has little love for this fruit has this to say ~ "I never knew water apples could taste this good!" I agree.

Stir Fried Water Apples with Squid and Cabbage

Estimates for two, best eaten with rice.

Ingredients:
- 2 water apples (sliced thin)
- 1/2 small cabbage (sliced thin)
- 1 medium-sized Squid (sliced into ring-shaped sections)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 sprig spring onion (chopped)
- 1/2 tsp corn flour (diluted in 1 tbsp water)
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- Salt and pepper to taste

How-to:
1. Heat oil in cooking pan. Add garlic and fry until lightly browned.

2. Add squid, water apples and cabbage. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Stir fry until water apples are slightly tender. Finish by stirring corn flour into the mix.

4. Garnish with spring onion before serving.