Squid with Pork Stuffing
Serves 6.
Ingredients
500 g/1 lb large squid tubes
6 dried shiitake mushrooms
10 dried lily buds
60 g/2 oz bean thread vermicelli
250 g/8 oz minced pork
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
3 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
salt to taste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
peanut oil for frying
Directions
Clean squid, leaving tubes whole. Tentacles may be reserved for chopping and adding to filling. Soak mushrooms and lily buds in very hot water for 30 minutes. Soak bean thread vermicelli separately for 20 minutes. Discard mushroom stems and finely chop the caps. Chop lily buds also, and mix both with pork. Add garlic, ginger, spring onions, salt, fish sauce and pepper and combine thoroughly.
Lightly pack pork mixture into sac and fasten with toothpicks. Heat oil and fry the squid about 5 minutes on medium heat. Turn squid over and cook over low heat for a further 10 minutes or so. Allow to cool, then cut into slices crossways and arrange on a plate, on crisp salad greens.
Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)