sambal goreng sotong

Sambal goreng is my all time favorite dish

it is quite versatile and can be cooked with any type of seafood and meat

very much sought after when serving nasi lemak, ketupat, "ubi rebus" and also sandwiches

the key to successful sambal goreng is never to add water during cooking

and do not use blender to chop up any of the ingredients

here is where the pestle and mortar comes in handy

and the older it is the better..

Very simple to make:

in a mortar, pound 4 shallots + 2 garlic + 1/2" ginger until fine

heat a medium pot over medium heat and pour in 5 Tbsp cooking oil

saute the pounded ingredients then add in 5 tsp chili paste/chili boh with 1 tsp salt

reduce the fire a little bit and keep stirring all ingredients until the chili gets crispy

then add in 1 tsp concentrated tamarind puree and mix thoroughly

add a dash of sugar and 1 sliced onion.. continue stirring

taste for balance of saltiness, sourness and sweetness

add in 5 cleaned and cut squids and stir well until it is cooked

which shouldn't take more than 2 mins

off fire and serve immediately

a word on tamarind
if you are using the normal tamarind paste
just throw out the seeds and put the paste straight away into the sauteed chili
otherwise the concentrated tamarind puree makes an excellent subsitute