South Indian Squid Curry - Rick Stein

When I was in India I have never heard of , or had squid curry in my life.After coming to UK the squid dishes I liked were in the form of calamari from Italy or salt and pepper squid - Chinese version.So I was excited to see Rick Stein make this recipe on his tour of India.He claims it to be a Mumbai dish but my research showed it to be Mangalorian.

It has all the staple South Indian cupboard ingredients so it was easy for me to whiz it up in half an hour and didn't have to buy anything other than squid for the recipe . But if you are not South Indian like me here are the ingredients to buy.

Ingredients

For the masala paste

• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 fresh red chillies, stalks removed
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 50g/1¾oz fresh or frozen coconut, grated or finely chopped in a food processor

For the squid

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 4cm/1½in fresh root ginger, finely shredded
• 2 fresh green chillies, with seeds, thinly sliced at an angle
• 400g/14oz cleaned squid, cut into rings
• ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 50ml/2fl oz tamarind liquid
• 1 tsp jaggery or ½ tsp soft brown sugar
• handful fresh coriander leaves, chopped, to finish.

method

For the masala paste, tip the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds into a spice grinder and grind to a powder (or use a pestle and mortar). Transfer to mini food processor with the garlic, chillies and turmeric and blend to a paste. Add the coconut and 50ml/2fl oz of water and blend again.

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I have cut the squid into rings and marinated with turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon salt for 10 minutes.

For the squid, heat the oil in a sturdy pan or karahi over a medium heat, add the mustard seeds and fry for 30 seconds until they begin to pop, then stir in the onion and fry for five minutes.

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Add the garlic, ginger and green chilli and fry for a minute, then stir in the squid, the masala paste, chilli powder, tomato, salt and 75ml/2½fl oz of water and simmer for 2–3 minutes, or until the squid is cooked but still tender. Stir in the tamarind liquid and jaggery or sugar. Scatter over fresh coriander and serve.