Wednesday 25 November 2009

Masala Koonthal (Spicy squid Masala/Calamari Masala)



Masala Koonthal (Spicy squid Masala/Calamari Masala)
Serves 2-3


This is a spicy dry preparation of squid/ Calamari/ Kanava/ koonthal and is full of flavour. We sometimes call it as koonthal varattiyathu or Koonthal roast. Even though I have used the mild version of chilli powder here, I thought it was slightly spicier than my requirement; but my hubby thought they were deliciously spicy! I don’t know if my spice tolerance level has gone down since I always prepare food adjusting the spice level so that, it could be eaten by my toddler as well. But my little one has been nibbling on these even though his eyes were wide and watering and he has been drinking lot of water after each intake! It was spicy for him, but when it comes to seafood, it looks as if nothing matters to him!!.


As I mentioned earlier, The recipe was slightly spicier for me. If you need it milder, reduce the chilli powder from the recipe. I always liked the lovely aroma and spiciness of green chillies...but these days the green chillies I get here are too hot that I feel the heat through-out my system. So I avoided adding green chillies to this one (But I would love to add a couple of them..). If at all you want to add green chillies and keep the dish mild, slit 2 green chillies, deseed them, and sauté along with onions. But make sure you reduce the chilli powder. It was a delicious side dish and I served it along with a vegetable curry and Chappathi.

Ingredients:
170 gms cleaned squid/Calamari/koonthal/Kanava (5 small ones about 3”, head excluded)

For marinade:
½ Tsp paprika/Kashmiri Chilli powder
½ Tsp turmeric powder
A pinch of salt

Others:
coconut oil or other oil- as required
½ cup (packed) chopped onions, ½ of a large onion
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
A small piece of ginger, chopped
¼ cup (¾ of a medium size) tomato
½ Tsp paprika/Kashmiri Chilli powder
¼ tsp black pepper powder
6-8 curry leaves
A good pinch (1/4 tsp) of garam masala
Few teaspoons of water
Salt to taste

Preparation:
1.Cut the squid into rings of 3mm - 4 mm and marinate it with salt, chilli powder and turmeric for 10 minutes. Heat a frying pan and add 2-3 tsp of oil. Add the marinated squid and sauté for a couple of minutes just until the squid is opaque/hard. Fish them out.

2. In the same pan, add a couple of teaspoons more of oil and add chopped onion, salt, ginger and garlic. Keep sautéing until the onions are soft and start to take golden colour. Add chilli powder, pepper powder and saute for few seconds. If using high flame, add few teaspoons of water to avoid burning the spices.

3. Add in the chopped tomatoes and few teaspoons of water (if the dish is dry). Close the lid and cook on low flame until tomatoes have become soft.

4. Add the half cooked squid along with curry leaves and a couple of teaspoons of oil. Stir well. Close and cook in low flame until the squid is cooked thoroughly and is soft. Add a pinch of garam masala, stir well and close the lid and let the flavours to infuse.

16 comments:

Sailaja Damodaran said...

Looks very tempting....as i don't eat suid will try it with chicken.....

Namitha said...

Oh man...that made me drool..Nice clicks and great recipe :-)

shahana said...

Koothal masala adipoli.Vaayil vellam varunnu.
Thanks alot for dropping in my space.Actually shabna is my sister.Watever recipies with the label shabnaz kitchen is her recipies.I hope you'll come again with ur valuable suggestions and comments.

Tina said...

Never tried this...Kidilamayitundu pass that plate dear kothiyavunnu...

Priya Suresh said...

Mouthwatering dish..wat a tempting dish Shabs..

Latha said...

Wow!!! delicious....My MIL too makes it same way..Nice tempting pics :).

Unknown said...

wooooooooooo ...what a recipe and what a snap, looks like its piercing out of the screen :) too good and yummy...Kanava kandaitu kalam marannu shabs..:(

shabbu said...

hi shaby...nice recipe,tempting photos...but ivide koonthal kittunilla..

Saju Sharfu said...

ayyyoo..enthina ennod ingane...i love koonathal..but the ones we get here are either the big ones or else frozen and it doesnt have the same taste as in india.. y dont u parcel me some!

Shabs.. said...

Hi, thank u all for ur sweet comments...

@sailaja, hey thats a nice idea...i too wud try it with chickne next time...thx for that...

@saju...I too made with the frozen ones...I though they tasted great....But i had to clean it in lime juice and salt to get rid of the smell....Eeewww....

Anonymous said...

hi shab

can u tell me how long it will take to cook squids.. once i cooked squids and it turned out too hard..pls help..

fem

Shabs.. said...

hi fem....
over cooking squid will make it hard....in this recipe,in the initial frying, it is already half done. Thne in the final cooking, you can try 7-10 minutes on medium flame. Keep checking in between to see if it is soft. Normally squid is said to be cooked in 5 minutes on high flame , if frying. But i end up cooking longer than that always. Hope it helps. Let me know how it goes with u.
Love,
shabs.

Anonymous said...

This came out very well.. Thankyou..

Shabs.. said...

Hi anon,
Thx for the feedback. Iam glad you liked it.

abdulrasheed kottachalil said...

great recipe wow .... nice dear

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