The steam-grill method gives you the best of both worlds - the extra moisture and flavour infusion from steaming, and the smoky bbq flavours from grilling! This delicious squid dish is literally packed with surprises inside out!
Remove the skin from the ginger and slice it thinly
Wash the wooden fungus thoroughly to remove the sand in between the grooves and cut into small squares.
In a big bowl add in the pork, wooden fungus, water chestnut, prawns and spring onion and mix well.
Crack an egg into the mixture, then mix well until incorporated.
Leave the meat mixture in the fridge for 1/2 hour.
PREPARATION METHOD FOR STEAM-GRILLED STUFFED SQUID (10 min)
Remove the head and ink sac from the squid, then clean the squid body thoroughly. Remove the eyes and the mouth of the squid. For details instructions, watch my video tutorial on How to Clean Squid.
Use a chopstick to stuff the meat mixture into the squid body until it is three-quarters filled, being sure not to over-compress the meat.
Stuff the head of the squid into the squid body.
Then use a toothpick to seal the top of the squid.
COOKING METHOD FOR STEAM-GRILLED STUFFED SQUID (35 min)
Steam the squid over high fire for 20 minutes, ensuring there is sufficient water (tip: the water level should be at the same height as the top of the steaming rack)
Drain off the water from the steamed squid into a separate bowl and set aside.
In a well heated grilling pan, add in 1 tbsp butter into the pan at medium heat. It should start to sizzle. Immediately add in 2 stuffed squids and fry for about 3-4 minutes on each side. The squid should be nicely seared on both sides.
Add another tbsp of butter, and repeat with the remaining 2 squid bodies
Remove from heat. Remove the toothpicks and slice up the seared squid. Arrange the squid on the same grilling pan and garnish with chopped parsley and lime. Best served hot.
Notes
Be sure to stuff the squid only until it is three-quarters filled, to allow room for the meat to expand during cooking.
When stuffing the squid, it is best to use a chopstick to push the meat in, so the meat won't be over-compressed, resulting in the meat being undercooked.
When cleaning the squid be careful when handling the ink sac and removing the eyes of the squid. Do NOT squeeze the eyes of the squid otherwise it will shoot out and create a big mess. Watch my video tutorial for detailed instructions on How to Clean Squid.
Steaming the squid before grilling allows the moist heat to penetrate the stuffing and cook it through while retaining moistness. If you skip the steaming step, the squid will usually turn out dry and rubbery, because it takes a long time for the heat from the grill to penetrate and cook the meat stuffing through, by which time the squid would end up overcooked.
Grilling the squid at the end is optional, if you like the stuffed squid to have a smoky grilled taste. If you do not want to grill the squid, you should add on 5 minutes to the steaming time.
When grilling the squid, don't over fill the grill pan as you will end up steaming the squid rather than grilling / searing it.
To get browned squid without overcooking, use a heavy pan that’s well heated through.
It is very important to add in the squid IMMEDIATELY into the sizzling butter, otherwise the butter will get burnt.