Stuffed Whole Squid or Calamari with Shrimp
Ingredients :
8 med. fresh Squid /Calamari
¼ cup fresh small Prawns or Shrimp (chopped if large)
3 med. Onions (peeled & finely chopped)
3 tbsps. Ambot Tik Paste for the stir fry + 2 tbsps. for the gravy
3 tbsps. Vegetable Oil
Water as required
8 Toothpicks
Method :
Clean the squids thoroughly. (I get it cleaned from the fishmonger). If you wish to clean at home then refer to homecooking.about.com
Apply a little salt & keep aside for about 5 mins.
Wash the squids well especially the pockets.
Retain the pockets but cut the side flaps. Finely cut the flaps & the tentacles. Place in a bowl alongwith the prawns/shrimp.
To prepare the stir fry stuffing:
Heat one tbsp. oil in a pressure cooker/ wok/kadhai till hot.
Reduce heat & saute the chopped onions till soft & translucent.
Then add the ambot tik masala paste & saute on low heat till the rawness disappears for about 2-3 mins.
Add the reserved squid tentacles & prawn mixture; saute for another 3 mins.
The stuffing should be dry. It should not drip while filling the pockets.
Your stuffing is ready. Transfer the stuffing to a bowl to cool down.
Fill the stuffing in each squid pocket & seal the opening by inserting a tooth pick . This ensures that the stuffing will be retained in the pocket.
Do not overfill the pocket. As the squid cooks, it will shrink & the stuffing will expand. Fill to spread well inside. Leave some room at the end to get a tooth pick through to seal the squid tube.
Heat 2 tbsps. oil in the pressure cooker again till hot.
Reduce heat & gently ease in the whole stuffed squids.
Gently saute the filled pockets for about a minute with 2 tbsps ambot tik masala paste & if any stir fry is remaining in the wok add that too.
Add about 2 cups of water & pressure cook upto 2 whistles.
Let the cooker cool down & then open the pressure cooker.
Adjust salt to taste & desired thickness of gravy.
Serve hot with steamed rice/sannas/rice roti or bread.
Tips & Variations :
You may cook the squids in a pan/wok or dekchi. But make sure you check that the squids are cooked well by piercing a knife through the squid piece. It should be soft & not rubbery.
I prefer using the pressure cooker as I am comfortable with it.