Using Up The Leftovers

I hate to waste bits and pieces that are in the fridge, so like to make up dishes that use what I have. I particularly like working with herbs and vegetables or fruits that can't be frozen or preserved in some way.

Following our Chinese New Year dinner, I had fresh coriander and coconut cream in the fridge that needed to be used. An Asian style dish was calling to me, but how best to use the ingredients? Being hot weather, I wanted something light and tasty, with the coconut cream making a marinade or sauce. I decided to whiz up the coriander and coconut cream with some garlic, chilli, fish sauce and lemon juice to make a dressing for a salad. Lime juice would work equally as well, but i didn't have any on hand.

When buying seafood, I tend to overlook squid as it can be rubbery if not cooked properly. As a change from fish or prawns, which I'd normally buy, I opted for a couple of squid tubes. When cleaned and scored into diagonals, little pieces of squid curl up into beautiful curls. They take only minutes to cook and are loved by kids as well as adults. Because squid doesn't have a very strong flavour of its own, you need a sauce or marinade with plenty of oomph. The coconut and coriander was perfect. If you don't like chilli, you could leave it out, but for me that bit of bite is perfect.

This sauce would also be wonderful with prawns, fish or chicken, so mix it up with whatever you feel like eating or what you have in the fridge or freezer.

To make my salad, I used green beans from the garden and some red capsicum and spring onions that were in the fridge. To bulk it up, I added some vermicelli noodles. You could really use anything that you like to make up the salad component. Baby corn, red onion, snow peas, julienned carrot....... The list is almost endless.

Coriander and Coconut Squid Salad

1 bunch of coriander, roots removed, leaves and stems washed

1/3 cup coconut cream

1 small red chilli, seeds removed, coarsely chopped

1 clove of garlic, coarsely chopped

1/4 tsp fish sauce

Juice of 1 lemon or lime (or to taste)

Place everything in a small food processor or blender and blitz until finely chopped and smooth. You should have a nice green, creamy consistency. 

Taste for flavours and correct with more lemon juice or fish sauce, if needed.

50g dried vermicelli noodles, soaked in water until soft, then drained

A handful of green beans, blanched and cut in half

1/2 a red capsicum, thinly sliced

2 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 squid tubes, cleaned and dried

A good drizzle of olive oil

Salt to taste

To make the salad, put the drained noodles in a bowl with the beans, red capsicum and spring onions and toss to combine.

Drizzle with half the coriander and coconut dressing so that the noodles and vegetables are well coated.

Set aside the remaining dressing.

To prepare the squid, place a tube on a chopping board and insert a knife inside. Cut the tube into two pieces of equal size.

Score the inside with long thin cuts on each diagonal, being careful not to cut all the way through.

Using a sharp knife, cut each piece into halves and then into thirds. 

Repeat with the second squid tube.

You should end up with 24 small pieces.

Heat a good drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan or wok over high heat.

Add the squid and a good pinch of salt and toss for about 2 minutes or until the squid has curled into rings and is slightly golden.

Place the dressed noodle salad on plates and then top with the squid curls.

Drizzle with a little extra dressing and extra fresh coriander, if you have it.

Enjoy!