Curried Fried Calamari

There’s just something about deep frying that’s therapeutic. Watching the hot oil bubbling away reminds me of sitting in a hot spring pool with those buttons that you can push that’ll start a bubble massage.

Aah… So invigorating. So blissful.

Not that I want to sit in a tub of hot oil scorching the heck out of my skin with third-degree burns. Ouch.

And then of course, it’s only therapeutic for 1-2 minutes, lasting as long as it takes to fry these calamari babies. After that, reality sets in. The bliss ends there.

I end up with greasy floor, smoky house and a stove full of oil splatter that as Mr. V puts it (after three days had passed and I’ve yet to clean it) “If I’d to ignite this, there’s going to be a big fire ball of explosion.”

Yup.

All that for fried calamari.

But not just any fried calamari. <— (Such a cliche sentence)

Curried fried calamari.

My family is a food fanatic. More specifically, seafood fanatic. One can never go wrong eating seafood with this bunch. One of my favorite things to eat at a seafood restaurant back in Malaysia has always been fried calamari. The squid is guaranteed fresh and delicious. But, the coating… not so much.

On the other hand, I love Mamak style fried calamari too. The coating is guaranteed flavorful. Umami to the max. But the squid.. not so much. So to get the best of both worlds, I had to DIY or rather DIM (do it myself) which explains how these curried fried calamari babies were born.

Thin crispy coating made from a special blend of curry flour mix enveloping delicious & tender squid inside.

So worth it. The oil and the drama.

PS: The repetitive action of cleaning oil splatter is therapeutic too. It removes stress and bring calmness. OHmmmm….

Tips:

1. Yogurt (or buttermilk) is used to tenderize the squid. Sugar is added to slightly offset the sourness.

2. The coating is made up of half flour, a quarter cornstarch and a quarter rice flour with a tad of baking powder to help crisp and lighten them.

If you love dredging stuff and biting into crispy goodness (oh and this doesn’t make a whole lot of mess), then you’re going to love this Tonkatsu (Japanese Fried Pork). Crispy outside, moist & tender inside. Perfect with fresh, crisp cabbage & a special dipping sauce.

Oh, and if you haven’t already, please check out my last post Hokkaido Milk Bread. This Japanese milk bread is the softest, lightest & fluffiest bread ever. Easily convert your regular bread recipe & you will never look back. I guarantee.

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Curried Fried Calamari             Serves 3-4 as appetizer

what you need:

1 lb squid, cut into 1/2″ rings
2 tbs fresh or dry curry leaves (optional)

Marinade
3/4 cups plain yogurt
1/2 tsp sugar

Flour Mixture
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
1/2 cup rice flour
1 tbs fish curry powder
1 tbs meat curry powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder (see note)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt

Dipping Sauce
2 tbs mayonnaise
2 tbs plain yogurt
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp paprika
Pinch of salt and black pepper

directions:

1. Combine the yogurt and sugar and pour over the squid. Marinade for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the flour mixture.

3. Drop the squid into the flour mixture and coat it. Shake off the excess flour and place the coated squid on a baking sheet for 20-30 minutes. Let it rest. This is to bring the squid to room temperature before frying whilst at the same time allowing the squid to absorb the flour mixture.

4. Over medium high heat, heat 3/4″ of oil in a pan or a wok until 350 F (make sure there is enough oil to cover the squid when frying).

5. Once the oil is almost ready, coat the squid once more with the flour mixture and shake off the excess flour.

6. Gently add the squid to the hot oil. Fry for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Do this in batches. Make sure the oil is 350 F again before frying the next batch.

7. Place fried calamari on paper towel for 1 minute to remove excess oil then transfer them to a wire rack set on a baking sheet (this is to help maintain the crispiness). To keep them warm while finishing the remaining batch, place the baking sheet with fried calamari in the oven at 200 F.

8. Fry the curry leaves with the last batch of calamari. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Note:

This chili powder is the one with chili but also a blend of other spices like cumin, oregano, coriander, garlic, allspice and clove. It’s not the ‘other’ chili powder where it only consist of ground dried chilies.

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