Materials
500g fresh squid, prioritizing tube squid or leaf squid.
15-20 fresh betel leaves.
1 small ginger root.
2 lemongrass plants.
2 fresh peppers.
2 cloves of garlic.
1 tablespoon of fish sauce.
1/2 teaspoon of sugar.
1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.
1 teaspoon oyster sauce, as desired.
A little salt and lemon to pre-process the squid.
How to do
Buying squid, clean the squid bag, remove the eyes, teeth and internal organs, then wash with water mixed with a little salt and lemon to remove the fishy smell. Wash again with clean water and let drain. If using squid, you can gently cut a few lines on the stem to make the spices easily absorbed and the dish more beautiful.
Pick out old piper lolot leaves, wash them, drain and then chop them finely. Peel ginger, wash them and shred them. Crush lemongrass, cut into pieces. Mince garlic and chili.
Put the squid in a bowl, add chopped piper lolot leaves, ginger, garlic, chili, fish sauce, sugar, pepper and oyster sauce. Mix well and marinate for about 15 minutes. Do not marinate for too long to avoid making the squid watery and losing its crispness.
Arrange lemongrass on the bottom of the steamer, place the squid on top and then cover with a layer of piper lolot leaves. Boil water until boiling, put the steamer in to steam for about 7-10 minutes depending on the size of the squid. When the squid is just cooked, the meat is firm, turns cloudy white and smells of piper lolot leaves, then turn off the heat.
Steamed squid with piper lolot leaves should be used immediately when it is still hot. It can be dipped with fish sauce, ginger, chili or salt, pepper, and lemon. The natural sweetness and light crispness of squid blended with the characteristic strong aroma of piper lolot leaves creates a simple but rice-filled dish.
To make the dish more delicious, you should choose squid with a firm body, clear eyes, glossy skin and no strange smell. Steaming until just cooked is also the secret to help squid retain its softness and sweetness instead of being chewy.
With a quick and simple processing method, squid steamed with piper lolot leaves is suitable for family meals on weekends, especially when you want to change the menu to a rustic, low-fat seafood dish.
