August 24, 2003

Squid Curry

August 24, 2003

DISCLAIMER:

This experiment was not done by professionals. Paperless does not recommend that you try this at home and is not responsible for any damage or illness that may ensue.

There is no way to appreciate what your favourite Vietnamese restaurant goes through when preparing squid like attempting to prepare squid yourself!

Preparing squid is a lot like Russian Roulette, except that you are only dealing with eye guts and ink sacs rather than bullets. Finding out how a squid is classified as a shellfish is pretty cool at first, but then comes the chore of pulling all of the squid snot out of the thing, and I end up flashing back to something I've seen on www.rotten.com!

Here's one of the yummy creatures now. To fully get the appreciation of all the work that goes into preparing squid, you should:

a) try it yourself
b) watch the Simpsons episode where Homer eats the "poison shellfish"
c) explode a couple of squid ink sacs all over your shirt

Fun times and hilarity ensue, and just to make it more fun, I'm going to provide you with a recipe!!!

Ingredients:

1 spanish onion
1 can Carnation evaporated milk
2-3 tbsp tomato paste
2 chicken boullion cubes
1 green pepper
2 potatoes
1/2 lb mushrooms
squid

curry powder
cumin
coriander seed
ginger
cinnamon
garam marsala
sugar

Before you go on, behold the plate of squid guts below:

Mmm!!! Squiddy goodness!

Still want to go on?

You asked for it!

chop the onion, pepper, mushrooms, and pepper
sauté them in olive oil or butter
cook prepared and cut squid in another pan (2 minutes per side or it will turn out like rubber, adding to the irony of this whole experiment)
add tomato paste and boullion (dissolve it in a couple cups of water first) - simmer until sauce thickens
add the sautéed vegetables to the sauce pan
some people like to throw raisins in their curry as well
add the squid to everything else
add the evaporated milk for a creamy sauce and cook to desired consistency
serve with Vietnamese rice (the sticky kind!!!)

Better yet, go to the Quan and get them to make a much better version of this dish for you!