Burmese Grilled Prawn and Calamari Salad

Burmese Grilled Prawn and Calamari Salad

Recipe only 

Because Burma (now called Myanmar) is abundant with such a natural environment with tropical weather conditions, fertile soil and plenty of fresh water, food is grown in abundance. Today, Burmese people still rely on rice as their main dietary source of food, making up about 75% of their diet. Like most surrounding counties , snack food or street food is available on nearly every street corner, unlike the western world which snack food normally means processed rubbish in a fancy packet. So try and start making your snacks from something that is healthier than a packet of potato chips.

INGREDIENTS

400 g fresh whole squid

12 raw medium sized green prawns

Small handful of fresh Coriander leaves

small handful fresh Thai basil

small handful Vietnamese mint

2 spring onions

1 Lebanese cucumber

Good handful bean shoots

1 avocado

handful roasted peanuts

handful sesame seeds

30 ml fresh lime juice

30 ml rice wine vinegar

30 ml fish sauce

30 g palm sugar

5 g fresh green chili

5 g fresh peeled garlic

5 g fresh peeled ginger

50 ml vegetable oil

METHOD

1. To make the salad, clean and pick the leaves and place in a bowl of cold water. Cut the spring onions into 2 cm stalks and slice length ways, add to the water and then drain. Dry the herbs and spring onions in a sieve. Wash bean shoots and pick any that do not look nice.

2. Dry roast (180 C) the sesame seeds and peanuts (No Skin on peanuts), separately, until golden brown, make sure to keep a close eye on them, they burn quickly. Cool, then chop peanuts and add to the sesame seeds.

3. Now make the dressing, using the palm sugar make a caramel in a small pan, remember not to stir when making a caramel. Then add the vinegar, lime juice and fish sauce. When all is dissolved, remove from the heat and let cool. Do not put in the fridge.

4. Clean the squid and cut into 3 cm cubes, score the underside in a crisscross pattern. Peel the raw prawns and de-vein, leaving the tails in-tacked. Add to the calamari

5. Puree chili, ginger, garlic and oil until smooth, pour over the prawns and calamari and leave to marinate for 5 minutes.

6. Set your plate or bowl by arranging the herbs in the middle, then scatter the bean shoots on top, the lay slices of avocado and cucumber.

7. Grill the prawns and calamari to perfection, when cooled down place onto of the salad and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts and sesame seeds.