I have always had this very special nose to sniff out some yummy sea food from kilometres away, and have not held myself back when it comes to hopping right into the kitchen to try out a new seafood recipe that springs to mind.
Squids (Koonthal or Kanava in this part of the world) have remained a favorite since time immemorial, and I still savor the memories of Kanava Thoran that Amma used to dish out when I was a kid. I used to be real amused by this deliciously rubbery thing that required quite a bit of chewing, and later when I started out my experiments with cuisine, discovered that its the over cooking that turns them into this adamantly untearable pieces of meat that they evolve into.
Coming back to the current story, this morning found myself face to face with some delicious looking squids that looked like they were all set to be part of my cooking tale of the day. I really can’t imagine cooking a sea food dish in one of those non-stick pans and hence pulled out that Manchatti (earthenware) and got busy washing and cleaning the squids. This is probably is the easiest way to cook them, and being a self learned cook, I should say I really do not depend on exact measures. Just follow your instinct and you are bound to be on the right path sooner or later. Here goes. 🙂
Ingredients: Squids, Shallots, Green Chillies, Red dry chillies, Garlic, Mustard Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Pepper powder, Turmeric powder, Freshly grated coconut, Curry leaves and of course, Coconut oil. And its as simple as this.
- Pressure cook the squids up to six whistles (or even more if you want them to be all soft) after rubbing them all over with turmeric and pepper powder.
- Add mustard seeds to the oil and after they have spluttered, add in the cumin seeds and garlic along with the shallots and green chillies.
- Saute till the shallots have turned pink and add the freshly grated coconut and the red dry chillies. Let it be for around 5 minutes, and give it a toss every now and then to avoid burning.
- Add the pressure cooked squids now along with any water that has been left over in the cooker, and toss around well. Cover with a lid and let the water dry up.
- Add a dab of coconut oil and curry leaves and serve hot. 🙂 😀 Preferably straight off the Manchatti!!