Malaysian squid sambal

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 500 g squid(s) (squid tubes or cuttlefish), small
• 250 g onion(s)
• 5 garlic cloves
• 20 chili peppers (Thai chili peppers), pitted
• 1 small red bell pepper(s)
• 1 tsp shrimp paste
• 50 g palm sugar
• 5 tbsp lemon juice or lime juice
• 50 g tamarind pulp
• 5 cm lemon peel
• 200 ml water
• 2 tbsp oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Sambal Sotong

Pour the boiling water over the tamarind pulp, let it stand for 10 minutes, and then strain. Roughly chop the onions and garlic cloves and add them to the blender along with the chilies and the chopped bell pepper. Add the tamarind water, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Once smooth, pour the puree into the heated oil in a pan or wok and let it reduce slightly. Then stir in the palm sugar and shrimp paste and add the squid. Cook over low heat until the liquid has evaporated and oil separates from the sides of the pan. This takes about 30 minutes. The squid should be soft again by now. Tip: The bell pepper, along with the chilies, gives the dish a beautiful red color. You can also replace it and the Thai chilies with about ten larger, medium-hot Spanish chilies.