Sauteed squid with chilli, coriander and coconut; duck vindaloo. All recipes serve 4
SAUTEED SQUID WITH CHILLI, CORIANDER AND COCONUT
600g squid, tentacles detached, body sac lightly scored on
the inside in a crosshatch pattern and cut into 4cm pieces
1 lime
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
3 tbsp fresh coconut, grated
1 tbsp fresh coriander (including stems), chopped
1 lemon, trimmed and quartered
Marinate the squid with salt, pepper and half the lime juice for at least half an hour, or overnight in the fridge. Heat the oil over a medium heat and saute the garlic, ginger and chilli for 30 seconds, before adding the squid and coconut.
Continue cooking for two minutes, tossing constantly and taking care not to burn the garlic. Remove the pan from the heat, add the remaining lime juice and the coriander, toss well and serve with a quarter of lemon to squeeze over.
You can use a hammer to crack your coconut. Break off the outer husk, peel off the inner brown skin and grate the white flesh. Fresh coconut freezes well, and can be bought in Asian shops.
DUCK VINDALOO
This dish is not particularly hot, but if you are concerned, cut down on the quantity of chillies.
15 Kashmiri or Ancho chillies (from ethnic stores, or by
mail-order from the cool chilli company www.coolchile.co.uk. Or use
3-4 supermarket-bought red chillies), destemmed and deseeded
4 tbsp cider vinegar
half tsp black peppercorns
4 cloves
1 heaped tsp cumin seeds, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan
4cm stick of cinnamon
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
4cm piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
3 onions, peeled and chopped
4 duck breasts, scored twice on the skin side so the cut goes
through to the flesh
6 tbsp vegetable oil
8 new potatoes
4 tomatoes, pureed
2 tbsp jaggery (or light brown sugar)
8 button onions, peeled
Combine the chillies and vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes, or ideally overnight. Grind the peppercorns, cloves, cumin and cinnamon in a pestle and mortar or coffee grinder. Combine the chilli mixture with the ground dry spices, garlic, ginger and one of the onions and blitz to a smooth paste in a processor or blender. This can take up to five minutes.
Spread two tablespoons of this over the duck breasts, cover them with cling film and set aside. Gently saute the remaining two onions in four tablespoons of oil for around 20 minutes, stirring frequently. They should turn a nut brown colour and soften, not turn crispy. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for five minutes then drain. Sear the duck breasts for two minutes on each side, remove from the heat and cut into one-centimetre slices.
Add the chilli mixture to the onions along with the jaggery and continue to cook over a moderate heat for 10 minutes, or until all the water has evaporated and the mixture has turned a rich red-brown. You may need to add a few tablespoons of water to stop it burning. Add the pureed tomatoes and continue cooking for eight minutes. Add the potatoes and button onions and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Taste and add more salt, vinegar or sugar as necessary. Slide in the duck slices and cook gently for three to four minutes, or until the duck is cooked. Serve with plain boiled rice.