Kale, Chilli & Squid Stir-Fry

The next featured chef at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) is Curtis Stone. We shall be cooking from his recipes for the next six months, from 4th April to 2nd October. This week's theme to welcome Curtis Stone to our kitchen is, G'day Curtis!, where we can make any of his recipes to welcome him to our kitchen. If you would like to join us, (please do!), you may get the full details from IHCC's website here.

I have tried a few of his recipes before and now, am so looking forward to explore more of his recipes for the next six months. To kick-start on welcoming Curtis Stone to my kitchen, I've made one of his recipes Kale, Chilli & Squid Stir-Fry.

A simple, quick and easy stir-fry dish. I used my homegrown Kale, and it is the first time I'm trying Kale. It is not a common veggie here in Malaysia, and I have never seen Kale being sold at the supermarkets before. Out of the many seeds that I've sowed, only one seedling survived and grow into a healthy plant. 

I have forgotten to buy the sugar snap peas, so I have omitted that. And I did not use kecap manis, an ingredient I am not fond of. I have used about 1/4 teaspoon of black soy sauce, for colour. From the ingredients list, there's sliced chillies and garlic used, and that brings to mind where's the ginger! I've added some julienned ginger, as I think ginger always goes well with chillies and garlic, and with any seafood. As for the squids, I cut them into rings, and did not fry them until browned as per the recipe indicated. I stir-fry the squids in one whole batch with a little oil, for about 3-4 minutes until almost cooked. The squids would release all their juices. Scoop everything into a plate, and cook as directed in the recipe, replacing the water in the recipe with the juices accumulated from the squids.

This is a delicious, easy dish, and great eaten as part of a meal with steamed white rice. I'm glad that I have forgotten the sugar snap peas, as I think that it is great without it. The only thing is, the next time I will add more Kale, as we love it! 

Kale leaves from my container garden. Beautiful fresh green! I have seen so many recipes using Kale that I was pretty curious, which led me to buy the seeds and grow this veggie. This is the first time we've tried Kale, and we love it. I'll be sowing the rest of the seeds soon.

Kale, Chilli & Squid Stir-Fry
(adapted from coles.com.au, Curtis Stone)
500gm squid tubes, rinsed, dried, scored, cut into 4cm pieces
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1" ginger, sliced thinly and julienned (my addition)
1 long red chilli, thinly sliced, plus extra to serve
1/2 small bunch kale, washed, trimmed, shredded
150gm sugar snap peas, trimmed (omitted)
2 tbsp kecap manis (omitted kecap manis, added 1/4 tsp of black soy sauce)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
Steamed Jasmine rice, to serve

1. Season squid. Heat half the peanut oil in a wok over high heat. Cook the squid, in 2 batches, for 2-3 minutes or until browned and tender. Transfer to a plate.
2. Heat remaining peanut oil in the wok over high heat and stir-fry onion for 1 minute. Add garlic and chilli. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the kale, sugar snap peas and 1/4 cup water. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes or until kale wilts. Return squid to the wok and add kecap manis, soy sauce and sesame oil. Toss for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.
3. Top the stir-fry with extra chilli and serve with rice.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week,

G'day Curtis!

Kam Heong Sotong (Squids In Fragrant Curry Sauce)

Kam Heong Sotong is truly a Malaysian favourite. "Kam Heong", is a Cantonese word when translated directly, means "Golden Fragrance". Just as it's name, this dish smells really good. It is usually served in Chinese restaurants, and can be cooked with various seafood and even chicken meat. The other popular seafood that is usually cooked this way is our local clams, which we called "lalah" and also delicious with fresh crabs.  

We would sometimes order this dish when we eat out at Chinese restaurants, either clams or sotong (squid).  Whenever this hot piping dish is served at the table, the fragrant smell will make your saliva glands starts working immediately!

You could cook this at home, but be prepared to buy more squids, as once they are cooked, they sort of "shrink"! And cook lots of rice, you would want a second helping! What you need is lots of fresh curry leaves, it brings a wonderful fragrance to this dish and a fair amount of dried prawns.

My Curry Leaf Plant. Curry Leaf is easily obtainable from any wet market or supermarkets in Malaysia, and very cheap too, but then, having your own plant is definitely more convenient. I grew this plant in a pot,  it is not a very big plant, but it provides me with the most vibrant green healthy fragrant leaves.

The spiciness of this dish depends on the amount of bird's eye chillies used, and for an even spicier taste, a pinch of chilli powder may be added in as well. If you prefer less spicy, use 2 or 3 bird's eye chillies. Here, I have used only 2 since my kids are eating this as well, and I have chopped it to large chunks so that it is easier to remove when serving to the kids. For extra spicier kick, chop the chillies finely so that the heat from the chillies gets distributed throughout. If a drier dish is preferred, do not add any water during cooking, but my family is a "gravy-loving family", we love gravies to eat with our rice, so I have added in about 3 tablespoons of water just for a little gravy, not too much though, as this is a fairly dry dish. Dried prawns is a must for this dish, otherwise it would not be the same, the dried prawns are soaked to soften first, then chopped to small pieces and fry till fragrant and crispy. 

The squids are sliced to rings and marinated with some corn flour,  to keep them soft and tender during cooking, as squids tend to turn rubbery and tough if cooked too long. The squids are stir-fried for a minute to briefly pre-cook them, remove and added in to the curry sauce later for a quick stir. 

Really fragrant from the curry leaves, dried prawns and curry powder. We just love the thick saucy gravy, with bits of garlic, shallots, dried prawns all coated with the delicious fragrant sauce that is a little spicy and salty with a tinge of sweetness. I could eat my bowl of rice with just this one dish alone! 

I'm sharing this with :

Full Plate Thursday hosted by Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Kam Heong Sotong (Squids In Fragrant Curry Sauce)
800gm squid
2 tsp cornflour
4 garlic cloves (chopped finely)
8 shallots (chopped finely)
2 heaped tablespoons dried prawns (soaked till soften, drain and chopped to small pieces)
2 heaped tablespoons fish curry powder
6 stalks fresh curry leaves (remove stalks)
6-8 bird's eye chillies (chopped)
2 lemongrass, (2" from the bottom white section, slice lengthwise to half, and sliced to thin strips)
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp sugar, or to taste
few drops of black soy sauce
cooking oil

1. Clean squid, cut to rings, marinate with 2 tsp cornflour and set aside. This is to tenderize the squid so that they will be tender and nice during cooking.
2. Heat about  1 tablespoon cooking oil in a wok or saucepan. When oil is hot, add in squids and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Scoop to a plate, keep aside.
3. In a clean wok or saucepan, heat about 3-4 tablespoons cooking oil. Add the chopped garlic and shallots, saute for about 3-4 minutes until fragrant and light brown. Add in chopped dried prawns and fry till dried prawns are fragrant, light brown and crispy. Add in the curry leaves, bird's eye chillies and lemongrass. Stir fry for another minute or two until the curry leaves releases its fragrance. Add in the curry powder, stir for a few seconds to combine and add in the squids, plus whatever juices has accumulated on the plate.
4. Add a few drops of black soy sauce, sugar and salt to taste.
5. If a little gravy is preferred, add in about 2-3 tablespoons water. Stir for a minute or two. Scoop out to a serving plate and serve hot. Enjoy!

Calamari with Lemon, Garlic and Piri-Piri

To submit to our Bake-Along : Fresh Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Chips, click here.

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It has been many months since I last cooked a Tessa Kiros dish, and I Heart Cooking Club is saying farewell to Tessa Kiros, this week being the last week that they are cooking from Tessa Kiros's recipes. There are many recipes of Tessa Kiros's that I have bookmarked to try, somehow time flies ever so fast, and without realizing it, 6 months of cooking with Tessa is already up! So for the final potluck, I have chosen this delicious calamari dish that I will be cooking again and again!

This dish is somewhat similar to our local Nyonya dish, where we use tamarind paste for the tinge of sourness and coriander leaves for the fragrance, here Tessa uses lemon juice, dried oregano and parsley. There's only one word to describe, YUMMY! We love it, the only thing that I regret when cooking this is, I only used about 500gm of squids, the next time I'm gonna double up the amount! 

I'm submitting this to I Heart Cooking Club, where this week's theme is "March Potluck! Goodbye Tessa, And Thank You". Definitely, this won't be the last dish of Tessa Kiros that I'll be trying. I have tried several of her recipes, and all are delicious! 

I Heart Cooking Club will be going all out with Mexican food with another chosen chef for the next six months, Rick Bayless. Please visit I Heart Cooking Club for more details.

Calamari with Lemon, Garlic and Piri-piri
(adapted from "Piri-piri Starfish" by Tessa Kiros)
400gm baby calamari
30gm butter
1 scant teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
a pinch of ground Piri-piri
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
salt to taste

1. To prepare the calamari, firmly pull the head and innards from the body and wash the body well. Cut off the head just below the eyes, leaving the tentacles in one piece if they're small. Discard the head, pull the transparent quill out of the body and rinse out the tube. Peel off the outer membrane and slice the tube into three or four rings.
2. Put the butter into a hot pan and heat until it sizzles. Add the oregano and cook for a moment until it smells good. Add the tubes and tentacles and cook on the highest heat until all the liquid evaporates. Sprinkle with salt and a little pepper and, when it's all turning golden, turn with a wooden spoon and scrape up any bits tuck to the pan.
3. Add the garlic and turn through until you start to smell it. Add the lemon juice and however much piri-piri you like. Let it bubble up, check the seasoning and stir in the parsley over the heat for just a moment longer. Add a touch more butter and lemon juice to the pan if you like more sauce. Serve hot in the pan with bread.

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The Home Bakers will officially start their first bake on 3rd April. To find out more about joining in and be a member, visit The Home Bakers for more details!!

Balinese Chili Squid

Do you like squids? We do!  Absolutely love squids. But one thing that I really hate doing, is cleaning them! It is a messy and "smelly" job, but someone got to do it!! And once they are cooked, yum! Squids are great in just about any way they are done, either deep-fried in batter, in spicy dishes like sambals or curries, in stir-fries, in BBQ, great as a pizza topping too or anything that you can think of. Bought some fresh squids from the morning market and thought of something spicy but mild enough that my kids can enjoy it too. Found the perfect recipe in one of my cookbooks, Stir Fry.

This is a lovely dish, perfect with white rice. It is not spicy, mild enough that my kids really enjoy it. The recipe requires 1/4 cup of lime juice, which I think is too much and would be too sour for my liking, as tamarind paste is also used for this dish. I only use the juice of two calamansi limes, and it is just right with about 3/4 tablespoon of tamarind paste. 

I was tempted to use a big bunch of Thai basil leaves from my garden, but my hubby do not really like the smell of this leaves, so I only use about 8 pieces. Which is great, as there is a light aroma of the leaves without being overpowering. The recipe calls for 1 cup of chicken stock, but I did not use it at all, as when the squid was stir-fried, there's enough juices from the squid, and this is a fairly dry dish, from the photo in the book. And I think by boiling the squid with the chicken stock for a couple of minutes will overcook them, making them tough. But then I'm giving the recipe as it is, feel free to follow the original.

A delicious dish that will definitely be repeated again in my kitchen. Yum!

I'm sharing this with :

Hearth and Soul Hop at Mom's Sunday Cafe
Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage


Balinese Chili Squid 
(adapted from "Stir Fry)
750gm (1 lb 10oz) squid tubes
60ml (2fl oz/1/4 cup) lime juice (I use the juice from 2 calamansi limes)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large red chili, seeded and sliced
3 spring onions (scallions), sliced, plus extra finely shredded spring onion, to garnish
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate (I just use about 3/4 tablespoon)
1 lemongrass stem, white part only, finely sliced
250ml (9fl oz / 1 cup) chicken stock (I did not use this at all)
5 Thai basil leaves, shredded


Spice Paste
2 large red chilies, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cm (3/4 inch) piece fresh ginger, chopped
2 cm (3/4 inch) piece fresh turmeric, chopped
3 spring onions (scallions), chopped
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon shrimp paste

1. Score the underside flesh of the squid in a fine criss-cross pattern and cut into large pieces. Place in a bowl with the lime juice and season well.
2. To make the spice paste, grind the chili, garlic, ginger, turmeric, spring onion, tomato, coriander seeds and shrimp paste in a food processor.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok. Cook the squid, chili and spring onion in batches for 2 minutes over high heat - don't overcook the squid. Remove from the wok. 
4. Heat the remaining oil and add the spice paste, tamarind concentrate and lemongrass. Cook, stirring, over medium heat for 5 minutes.
5. Return the squid to the wok and add the stock. Season with pepper and add the basil. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with the extra spring onion. (For this step, I just add the squid and the juices into the wok, season with pepper and add the basil, give a couple of turns in the wok for 1 to 2 minutes and dish out to a serving plate).

Stir-Fry Celery with Fresh Squid

Celery is rich with vitamin C, a vitamin that helps to support the immune system. Celery belongs to the same member family as carrots, parsley, fennel and dill. Here are some tips that I've found from the web, you might be interested to know how to select, store and prepare this wonderful veggie.

How to select :

• Choose celery that looks crisp and snaps easily when pulled apart. It should be relatively tight and compact and not have stalks that splay out.
• The leaves should be pale to bright green in colour and free from yellow or brown patches. Sometimes celery can have a condition called "blackheart", which is caused by insects. To check for damage, separate the stalks and look for brown or black discoloration.
• In addition, evaluate the celery to ensure that it does not have a seedstem - the presence of a round stem in the place of the smaller tender stalks that should reside in the center of the celery. Celery with seedstems are often more bitter in flavour.

How to store :

• To store celery, place it in a sealed container or wrap it in a plastic bag or damp cloth and store it in the refrigerator. If you are storing cut or peeled celery, ensure that is is dry and free from water residue, as this can drain some of its nutrients.
• Freezing will make celery wilt and should be avoided unless you will be using it in a future cooked recipe.

How to prepare :

• To clean celery, cut off the base and leaves, then wash the leaves and stalks under running water.
• Cut the stalks into pieces of desired length. If the outside of the celery stalk has fibrous strings, remove them by making a thin cut into one end of the stalk and peeling away the fibers.
• Be sure to use the leaves - they contain the most vitamin C, calcium and potassium - but use them within a day or two as they do not store very well.
• Celery should not be kept at room temperature for too long since, because of its high water content, it has a tendency to wilt quickly. If you have celery that has wilted, sprinkle it with a little water and place it in the refrigerator for several hours where it will regain its crispness.

Celery is really a versatile veggie, suitable in stir-fries, soups, stews and absolutely delicious eaten raw in salads and dips. A stalk or two of celery in a pot of soup, stock or stew, really makes a big difference. It is extremely full of flavour, not to mention it's nice fragrant aroma. 

This is another Chinese stir-fry dish that I really enjoy. The celery and the squids are cooked separately and then combined in the final stir-fry, as the squids will get tough when overcooked.  If you are like me, as I love stir-fry vegetables where they remain crisp and fresh, then try this dish. 

I'm sharing this with Full Plate Thursday over at Miz Helen's Country Cottage
and Recipe Swap Thursday at Prairie Story

Stir-Fry Celery with Fresh Squids

3 medium squids, cleaned and cut into rings
3 stalks of celery, sliced to about 3mm thickness on the diagonal
1 small carrot, cut to half lengthwise and sliced to 3mm thickness on the diagonal
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp cooking oil
salt to taste
dash of white pepper
1/2 tsp chicken powder seasoning

1. Heat about 1 tbsp oil and saute half of the minced garlic till light brown and fragrant. Add in the celery and carrots, about 2 tbsp water, stir, cover and cook for about 5 minutes, until vegetable is cooked but still remain crunchy. Dish out and keep aside.
2. Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil and saute remaining minced garlic till light brown and fragrant. Add in the squids, stir for about a minute and add in the celery and carrots, water, salt, chicken powder seasoning and pepper to taste. 
3. Keep on stirring for about 3 more minutes until squid is cooked and tender. Do not overcook squid. Dish out and enjoy with plain white rice.

Deep-Fried Crispy Squid with Pepper Jelly Dip

scrambled hen fruit, this post is for you!

I came across this fabulous pepper jelly recipe from one of my favourite blogs, scrambled hen fruit.  What really caught my attention to this recipe is the usage of hot chili peppers and dried apricots!  I love chili and apricot, and this seems to be the perfect combination!  Now one of the ingredients needed for making this jelly is liquid pectin.  I have been looking for this liquid pectin for more than a year, yes, I have a lot of KIV recipes for preserves and such, and this is one of the base ingredients needed.  The store which I usually go to for my bakery needs, happens to bring in powdered pectin as one of their new product.  I was estactic and bought a bottle.  The problem is, ALL the recipes that I came across either use liquid pectin or preserving sugar (sugar with pectin added).  Now I found out from the web that 2 tbsp of liquid pectin equals to 4 tsp of powdered pectin.  And, scrambled hen fruit informed me that a packet of liquid pectin is equivalent to 90 ml. By conversion, I should use about 12 tsp of powdered pectin. 

The original recipe from scrambledhenfruit is actually called "Habanero Gold Jelly". Again, I could not find the habanero peppers over here!  So I use the jalapeno peppers and our local, extremely hot bird-eye chili.  I was tempted to use more of the bird-eye chili, but too much of it, will be too hot for my kids, so I only use about 5 of these.  I then set out to make this long-awaited jelly.  Apparently, by using 12 tsp of the powdered pectin is not enough, the jelly doesn't set after leaving it overnight.  The next morning, I heat it up again and add in another 4 to 5 tsp more.  It sets up beautifully after that, but I guess I added a little bit too much of the pectin and it sets slightly harder than I like it to. But no problem, when I want to use it, I just mix a little bit of hot water, microwave on high for about a minute and  mix until I get the consistency I want.  I think that in total 14-15 tsp of powdered pectin will be just right. It will set further upon refrigeration.

This pepper jelly turned out fabulous.  I reduced the sugar to 2-1/2 cups and add another 2 tbsps of the vinegar, because I like it slightly more sour.  This jelly is great as a dipping sauce.  I deep-fried some squid for our dinner with this pepper jelly as the dipping sauce.  The reaction from the family,  they love it!  My daughter asked me "where did you learn to make this nice sauce?"  So for the full recipe and instructions on this fantastic "Habanero Gold Jelly", please stop by "scrambledhenfruit" and also, look out for her beautiful seedless blackberry jam!  (My eyes just 'pop-out' when I saw this!) I wish I could make this, but imported blackberry are definitely not easy to find, and it will definitely cost a bomb!

Thank you scrambledhenfruit, for sharing this fabulous jelly recipe!


My next 'project' is to make my own liquid pectin using apples and lemons, since I can't seem to find any over here!


If you would like to try the crispy fried squid, here's the recipe :

Deep-Fried Crispy Squid
Ingredients :
500gm squid
oil for deep frying


For the batter :
100gm plain flour
50gm cornflour
1 tbsp custard powder
1 tbsp baking powder
dash of pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery salt (or 1/4 tsp mixed spice)
150 ml water
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp cooking oil


Method :
Clean squid, cut to rounds.  Blanch in boiling water for 10 seconds. Drain and pat dry.
In a bowl, combine all batter ingredients except the cooking oil, and mix to a thick batter.  Gradually stir in the cooking oil and stir till well combined.
Heat oil for deep-frying.  Dip pieces of squid in batter till well coated. Fry in hot oil about 1 minute on both sides until golden brown and crispy.  Drain on paper towels to absorb excess oil.  Serve while hot and crispy with your favourite dipping sauce.


Pepper Jelly Dipping Sauce
2 tablespoons pepper jelly
1/2 tbsp hot water
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
Mix pepper jelly with hot water and microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove and stir to combine, extra hot water may be added if you like a thinner consistency,  add some salt to taste and stir till evenly mixed.  Serve immediately.