Halloween Week 2015: Scary Squid and Fried Forbidden Rice with Quail Eggs

C – Squid can be scary to work with, if you have never worked with it before.

It can also be scary if you have never eaten it. Perfect for a Halloween week recipe. Luke’s showed us how to clean it before. But, I usually buy the already-cleaned ones so I don’t have to deal with the guts and eyes and stuff.

There is also the issue of cooking squid. You either have to cook over high heat and really quickly or braise them on low heat for a few hours. Anywhere in between will be tough and rubbery.

If you don’t clean them well they may have a really fishy smell, too.

So what’s so scary about this dish? Nothing really if you’ve eaten squid and you know how to cook it. But, for those who’ve never tried squid before or cooked it, it’s definitely scary.

I think one of the best ways to try a new protein is putting it in fried rice. I topped the fried rice with the squid. If you are really scared, mix the fried rice around so you don’t see the tentacles.

This recipe didn’t smell too much like fish, because I made sure to clean the squid well before cooking them. If cooked right the squid won’t be rubbery. You really can’t notice it if you mix them into the rice.

I also added a lot of strong aromatics like garlic, ginger and chili peppers, just in case there is a fear of weird squid taste. It gave this fried rice a lot of flavor. I think people who have never tried squid before would love this fried rice.

Halloween Week 2015: Scary Squid and Fried Forbidden Rice with Quail Eggs

Recipe type: Mains

Author: Christina

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked Forbidden rice
• 3 Tbsp grapeseed oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces
• 1 carrot, chopped
• ½ red onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp chives, cut into ½ inch long pieces
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 fresh squid, cleaned and cut into 1 inch thick pieces, tentacle cut in half
• ½ Fresno chili, seeded and chopped
• 4 quail eggs
• A few Thai basil leaves for garnish
• Sriracha sauce for garnish

Instructions

1. In a large saute pan, place a tablespoon of oil and heat on high. Add garlic and ginger. Saute until fragrant. About 1 minute.
2. Add carrots and saute until tender about 3 minutes.
3. Add red onion and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
4. Add the Forbidden rice. Mix well.
5. Add chives and taste. Add more soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm and set aside.
6. In another saute pan, heat a tablespoon of oil on high.
7. Add ginger, garlic and Fresno chili. Cook until fragrant. About 1 minute.
8. Add squid and quickly cook for a minute or two, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper. Squids will be done when the pieces have curled up.
9. Fry the quail eggs in a separate frying pan.
10. Place fried rice in serving bowls.
11. Top with a few squid pieces.
12. Top with a couple of eggs.
13. Garnish with some basil leave, chives and Sriracha.
14. Serve.
15. Enjoy!

3.1.08

Easy what to not fear eating something…make fried rice and add it to the mix. It might taste good and you might like it.

Or, just serve it as a Halloween-party dish. More people will try it because they want to be grossed out.