Squid Salad with Five-Flavor Sauce 五味中卷
At a traditional Taiwanese banquet, the seafood platter often takes the spotlight as a starter. One of the popular dishes you'll typically find included on the platter is a squid salad with five-flavor sauce. The name of this sauce - pronounced "gomi" in Taiwanese - highlights its ability to strike a perfect balance between sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami flavors. This sauce is not limited to squid salad alone; it also makes a fantastic dip for blanched shrimp, mussels, or eggplant.
Excerpted from TASTE TAIWAN: Recipes from Taiwanese Home Kitchens by Chelsea Tsai, pages 38-39, by permission of CookInn Taiwan.
Squid Salad with Five-Flavor Sauce
五味中卷
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
For the Five-Flavor Sauce
- 1/2 tbsp (8g) garlic puree
- 1/2 tbsp (8g) ginger puree
- 1 tbsp (15ml) ketchup
- 1/2 tbsp (8 ml) black vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp (8g) sugar
- 1/2 tsp (2 ml) light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp (2 ml) sesame oil
For the Squid Salad
- 1 medium (600g/ 20 oz) squid
- A small bunch of cilantro leaves
- 2-inch (5 cm, 20g) ginger, shredded
Instructions
- Make the five-flavor sauce by mixing all the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Set the sauce aside.
- Rinse the squid and pat it dry with a paper towel. Score the inside of the squid in a crosshatch pattern, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the squid for approximately 30 seconds or until it becomes opaque.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the squid from the pot and immediately transfer it to a bowl of ice water. This will halt the cooking process and cool down the squid.
- Arrange the cooked squid on a plate and garnish with cilantro and/or shredded ginger. Serve the squid alongside the five-flavor sauce.
Recipe by: Chelsea Tsai
