Vietnamese Squid Salad

Serves 2 (as an entrée)

100g squid, cleaned
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup Chinese white cabbage, julienne
1 cup carrot, julienne
2 tablespoons green shallot, julienne
1/2 cup peeled cucumber, finely sliced on the diagonal
2 tablespoons mint, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons coriander leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons Thai basil leaves, roughly torn
1/2 cup roasted and crushed peanuts
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

Dressing:
1 tablespoon finely diced ginger
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 red chilli, seeded and chopped

Cut squid down the center so that it will open out flat. Use a sharp knife to score shallow diagonal cuts in a criss-cross pattern on the inside surface. Cut scored squid into 6cm x 2cm pieces.

Dressing: Place ginger and sugar in a mortar and pestle and pound until you have a fine paste. Add remaining dressing ingredients to the paste, stir and then set aside.

Heat oil in a wok and stir fry squid for 2 minutes or until just tender. Remove from the oil and drain well on paper towel. Season with a little sea salt. Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl with the hot squid then pour over the dressing and mix well. Transfer the salad to a platter and serve immediately.

*photo for this recipe can be found on my food blog posting from 8 June 2007

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