My seafood shopping choices are heavily dictated by budget, in the sense that I would pick up something simply because it looks cheap, and figure out how to make it palatable after the fact. This explains why I often use squid instead of the more expensive calamari; contrary to popular opinion, squid can taste pretty tender even when simply battered and deep-fried as in this recipe by Amy Beh at Kuali.com

Crispy Squid or Calamari Fritters

INGREDIENTS:

500g squid or calamari, cut into rings
1 stalk curry leaves (optional)

3 TBSP tapioca starch or cornstarch
2 TBSP rice flour
1 cup + 1 TBSP self-raising flour
1 TBSP baking powder
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp salt

Marinade –

½ tsp chicken stock powder
1 egg, lightly beaten

Dipping sauce –

½ cup mayonnaise
½ tsp minced garlic
1 TBSP wasabi
1 tsp lemon juice
A pinch of salt

Oil for deep-frying

METHOD:

1. Marinate squid rings with egg and chicken powder for 15 minutes.
2. Combine dipping sauce ingredients and set aside.
3. Combine flours, baking powder, chilli powder and salt and mix well.
4. Heat oil to 180’C.
5. Fry curry leaves (if using) until crispy (ie. when air bubbles have nearly completely dissipated); remove and drain.
6. Drench a handful of squid rings in the flour mixture, then transfer into oil and fry until done (ie. when air bubbles dissipate); remove and drain on paper towels.
7. Repeat with rest of squid, then toss with curry leaves and serve with mayonnaise dip.

The post How to Cook Crispy Squid or Calamari first appeared on Jackie M..

When I got into this whole “food thing” back in the day, I had to learn how to make everything myself through trial and error, because hawkers in Malaysia were notoriously secretive about their craft.

One of these recipes was for roti canai (roti prata if you’re Singaporean), and I’ve been able to make decent enough rotis that I sold it for years at my now-closed restaurant, I’ve demonstrated the art of flipping roti on Australian television, and I’ve run cooking classes on it.

Even so, I always felt my roti dough recipe was missing je ne sais quoi compared to what you could find at a Malaysian mamak stall. (FYI “Mamak” in Malaysia refers to roti canai stalls and to the Indian-Muslim cooks who run them; I’m not talking about the restaurant chain by the same name here in Australia, much as I admire their business.)

This session with Chef Chandra, who is the in-house the roti canai specialist at Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur’s Gobo Chit Chat restaurant, is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to learn from a master of the trade directly.

Chef Chandra started out as an apprentice at a Malaysian mamak stall who, after many years of learning and selling roti canai, was recruited by Traders Hotel.

I should mention that this roti canai, which is made fresh and served at the breakfast buffet at Traders Hotel’s Gobo Chit Chat restaurant every morning, is pitch perfect and as good as any roti canai I’ve eaten anywhere in Malaysia.

Here is the first part of my roti canai masterclass as taught by Chef Chandra; click to watch >>

Roti Canai Dough

INGREDIENTS:

100 grams Butter
25 grams Salt
75 grams Sugar
100 grams Condensed Milk
750 grams Plain Flour
100ml Fresh Milk
125ml water

METHOD:

1. Combine butter, salt, sugar, condensed milk, fresh milk and water. Mix well.
2. Add flour and knead for 10 minutes. Rest for 20 minutes.
3. Roll into balls (you’ll need to watch the video to see how it’s done; it’s important to learn the technique).
4. Coat with butter, then rest for 2 hours before using.
5. IMPORTANT – The dough balls will need to be at tropical room temperature for them to be easily manipulated & flipped; in winter time at my restaurant I used to turn the oven on for 1 minute at the lowest setting, turn it off, then store the dough balls in it until they’ve softened.

My Wok Around Asia Kuala Lumpur project is made possible through the support of the following >>

The post How to Make Perfect Roti Canai Dough first appeared on Jackie M..