Vietnamese Squid Salad

This fresh, aromatic salad highlighted by a sharp dressing is full of flavor and color! Thai basil used here works well in Asian cooking (there are over 60 varieties of basil). Interestingly enough, basil, which grows in many regions throughout the world, was first native to India, Asia and Africa. Thai basil has small leaves, purple stems and a subtle licorice taste. This recipe is adapted from Kylie Kwong’s book, ‘Kylie Kwong, Recipes and Stories‘. Her book not only contains great Asian recipes but also a glimpse into the history of her family living and growing up in Australia. Kylie has her own restaurant in Sydney called Billy Kwong. Click here for the restaurant review.

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.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: I refrigerated the dressing while I prepared the salad. You can use roasted cashew nuts in lieu of peanuts. A relatively easy salad to prepare and the taste factor is 10 out of 10! Enjoy!