Sotong masak hitam

Squid cooked in its own ink

Sotong Masak Hitam
Serves 4

For the rempah:
15g dried chillies, soaked and drained
265g red onion
45g garlic cloves
30g ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric powder

Grind all to a fine paste.

For the squid:
800g squid

Pull the head and tentacles of the squid out and remove the transparent quill from the body. Rinse the insides of the squid’s body thoroughly to get rid of any sand or dirt. Remove the ink sac and set aside. Cut under the eyes of the squid. Keep the tentacles, and pierce the eyes, squeezing any ink into the bowl with the ink sac. Discard the rest. Slice the body into rings and keep with the tentacles.

For the sotong masak hitam:
100g oil
Rempah (see above)
2 stalks lemongrass, lower white portion only, bruised
1 red chilli, sliced diagonally
Sliced squid and tentacles
4 kaffir lime leaves
Squid ink and ink sacs extracted from the squid
1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons gula melaka
240g water (optional)
1 red onion, sliced
1 red chilli and 1 green chilli, sliced diagonally (for garnish)

Heat oil and fry rempah and lemongrass until fragrant and darkened in colour. Add the chillies, squid and kaffir lime leaves. Fry for a minute, then add the squid ink and ink sacs. Fry until the mixture turns black. Add the tamarind pulp, salt and gula melaka. Taste and adjust seasoning and consistency with water, if desired.

Add the onion and cook one last minute or until slightly wilted. Scatter over most of the sliced chilli and transfer the mixture to a dish. Top with the remaining sliced chilli and serve with steamed rice