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My parents are huge fans of nasi kandar–a type of Mamak/Indian-Muslim food consists of steamed rice with a variety of curries and other side dishes. (Click here and here for a peek of a nasi kandar restaurant and its many colorful dishes.)
When I was little, my parents would always take me to nasi kandar restaurants. I remember vividly their old joint in Georgetown, Penang. Whenever I go home to Penang, I would take my parents out to savor a meal or two of nasi kandar at their favorite restaurant/stall.
Regardless of where we go, there is one dish that we never miss out–gulai sotong, or squid curry. So, it’s no surprise that my mother makes a killer squid curry at home (which I’ve fortunately learned).
There are two secret ingredients of a great squid curry: curry leaves and a blended spice mix of cumin, fennel, black mustard, fenugreek seeds.
Curry leaves impart a highly aromatic flavor to the curry and the spice seeds add that signature and unmistakable Indian curry kick.
I love hard-boiled eggs in curries, so I also added some eggs. Click here to see the real squid curry served in Penang…
Malaysia celebrates its 50th Independence Day (Hari Merdeka) on August 31st. Hence this post also marks my entry to this year’s virtual Merdeka Open House hosted by Babe_KL. Please click here to view my Kerabu Bee Hoon entry last year.
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Special notes to my fellow Malaysians:
I used to take Malaysia for granted, well, when I was in Malaysia. There were always something to complain about–the educational system, the urban planning, the environment, media, government, and the list goes on.
Recently, I was in a meeting with a Taiwanese business partner. She told me in great enthusiasm that she just came back visiting Malaysian Borneo of Sabah and Sarawak.
She used to work in Singapore for 8 years and it was very clear that she adores Malaysia.
“Malaysians should be really proud of their country.” She said.
Her statement made me ponder. If a foreigner can love Malaysia so much, why can’t we?
“I am very proud of my country. It has so much to offer!” I replied.
I do love Malaysia–as a matter of fact–a lot.
Selamat Hari Merdeka!
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How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 509 calories per serving.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Squid Curry (Indian Gulai Sotong)
Ingredients
- 1 lb. squid, cleaned
- 1 tomato (cut into wedges)
- 5.6 oz coconut milk
- 4 hard-boiled eggs (shell peeled)
- 4 tablespoons Baba's fish curry powder
- 1 teaspoon spice mix (fenugreek, black mustard, cumin, and fennel seeds)
- 1 sprig curry leaves (discard the stem)
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 4 shallots (sliced thinly)
- 1 tablespoon chili oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Clean the squid and set aside. Heat up a pot with the cooking oil and saute the shallots. As soon as you smell the shallots aroma, add in the squid, curry powder, curry leaves, spice seeds, and tomato wedges. Quick stir for 1 minute and dish out the squid and set aside (to prevent over cooking the squid).
- Add coconut milk, hard-boiled eggs, and water and bring the curry to boil for 8 minutes. Add the squid back in and quick boil for 1-2 minutes (before they shrink in size). Add chili oil and salt to taste. Serve hot with steamed rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Good
What do you mean by Baba’s fish curry powder? Where can we find it?
Baba’s fish curry powder is from Malaysia. You can use other brands.
Hello! When you say cumin, do you mean the powder, or the seeds? :) Thank you!
Seeds.
Hello, I’m making the curry squid tomorrow. Do I leave the boiled eggs whole and put in the stew or slice them?
Whole eggs.
Bee, I think it is better to fry all spices well before we add in the sotong as Curry powder needs to fry well until red oil comes out then you may add in the sotong. Dish up after fried for 1 min and then add in the tomato and fry for awhile and then simmer for 10 mins to remove all the raw smell of the curry powder. Chef Wan taught us to mix the curry powder or chilli powder to a paste and let it stand for 20 mins before cooking so that the powder is fully activate before we fry it. I never fry the seafood if cooking curry, but I will try your way, may be it tastes much better. Thanks for sharing and too many young ladies can’t cook until they go to overseas and forced to cook and you’re their Life saver !! Keep up the good job.
Rebecca thanks for your suggestions. Yes I do it your way sometimes…but I simplify many of my recipes to make them more accessible to most people. :)
I agree…as a Malaysian-Indian, we always fry the spices and curry powder first. My mom swears this will extract the flavor better and that this is the best way too cook the powder fully. We also fry the onions with garlic and ginger (ground up in mortar and pestle). It takes away the ‘fishiness’ smell/flavor :)