Steamed Chilli and Lime Squid (pla muk neng ma now) - AFF Thailand Nov 2013

Hubby just went fishing in Malaysia recently and returned with an abundance of fish and squid. The species of squid is not the usual one that we find at fresh market, the flesh is slightly thicker and tougher. I'm not sure what it's called in English or Mandarin, but in Teochew dialect term, it's known as "青目" literally translated as "Green eye".


I took the opportunity to cook another favourite thai dish of my family, Steamed Chilli and Lime Squid, pla muk neng ma now, the recipe adapted from Forest Leong's The Best of Thai Home Cooking. I had the opportunity of attending her cooking classes a few times and she's such a friendly and approachable chef who tries her best to explain ingredients and cooking method thoroughly and answers all questions asked.

This recipe is really simple, the combination of chilli, lime, fish sauce, chicken stock, garlic and chinese celery really bring out the sweetness of the squid, and quite easy to prepare too!

Steamed Chilli and Lime Squid (pla muk neng ma now)
(recipe adapted from The Best of Thai Home Cooking by Forest Leong)

Ingredients

• 2 pieces of mid-size squid
• Seasonings
• 60ml of lime juice
• 2 Tbsp of fish sauce
• 60ml of chicken stock (I prepare my own chicken stock based on her recipe given in the book, alternatively, you can use commercial packets like Swanson or Heinz)
• 1/2 tsp of sugar
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 3-4 stalks of chinese celery, cut into short pieces
• 3-4 pieces of red chilli, cut into small pieces

Steps

1. Separate squid heads from tubes and set aside. Remove innards and ink sac, and peel away as much skin as possible. Rinse and drain well, and slice tubes into 1cm thick slices. Place squid in a shallow steaming plate and set aside. *I did not use the squid heads for this dish.
2. Combine ingredients for seasoning and mix well. Pour mixture over squid, and sprinkle garlic on top.
3. Steam squid over high heat for 4-5 mins depending on size of squid, squid should appear opaque and tender.
4. Transfer squid to a serving plate, pour steaming juices over, garnish with chinese celery and chilli and serve immediately. 

Chicken Stock

Ingredients

• 1kg of chicken bones or lean chicken meat (I use chicken bones and feet)
• 2 white onions, peeled and cut into half
• 2 coriander roots
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 white peppercorns
• 1.5 litres water

Steps

• Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to boil over medium heat. Lower heat and simmer for about 1hr. Remove from heat and strain stock.
• The recipe makes about 1.5 litres of stock. If not using immediately, leave stock to cool and refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. 

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest ( Thailand ) - Nov Month  hosted by Lena of Frozen Wings.