Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
Ingredients
For sauce
2 tablespoons tamarind (from a pliable block) 1/4 cup warm water 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 1/2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (preferably nuoc mam) 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoons sugar Tabasco to taste if not drizzling sriracha sauce on salad
1 pound cleaned large squid
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves (preferably Thai basil), washed well and spun
dry
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, washed well and spun dry
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
sriracha sauce (Asian chili sauce) to taste if desired
To Flower-Cut Squid
Remove flaps from body sacs and reserve. Cut each body sac lengthwise along seam to form a flat piece and rinse squid well.
Spread squid inner side up on a work surface. Holding a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle to work surface, score squid diagonally every 1/8 to 1/4 inch in a cross-hatch pattern. Score flaps in same manner. Cut squid into 1-inch pieces.
Preparation
Make sauce:
In a bowl stir together tamarind and warm water, mashing tamarind gently, about 4 minutes and strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on solids. Add remaining sauce ingredients, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Flower-cut squid (procedure follows) or cut squid sacs crosswise into 1/2-inch ring and halve flaps crosswise. Halve large tentacles. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water cook squid 45 seconds, or just until opaque, and drain in a colander. Rinse squid under cold water to stop cooking and drain well. Add squid to sauce, tossing well. Salad may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring salad to room temperature before proceeding with recipe.
Add herbs and onion to salad and toss well. Serve salad drizzled with sriracha sauce.
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