Name: Calamari tacos with chilli sauce
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 kg calamari, cleaned, sliced into 2cm rings, tentacles halved; 2 tbsp lime juice; 80 ml olive oil (1/3 cup); 16 10cm-diameter warm corn tortillas; 150 gm finely diced white onion (1 cup); To serve: coarsely chopped coriander, toasted sesame seeds and lime wedges; Chilli sauce; 90 ml sweet chilli sauce; 1 tbsp finely chopped white onion; ½ spring onion, coarsely chopped; 3 tsp each coarsely chopped Thai basil and coriander; 2 tsp lime juice; 1½ tsp finely chopped ginger; 1½ tsp sriracha sauce (see note); 1 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice; 1 tsp dried New Mexico chilli (see note); 1 small garlic clove, coarsely chopped; ½ tsp toasted sesame seeds; ½ tsp kochukaru (see note); ¼ red birdseye chili (see note), coarsely chopped

Calamari tacos with chilli sauce

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Calamari tacos with chilli sauce

Serves 8

Prep

45M

Cook

30M

Total

1H 15M

“I really don’t respond to criticism that much but this was an exception. Everyone kept saying Kogi only does one thing and it all tastes the same. All they do is meat and drench it in sauce. I didn’t even want to get into a debate about all the vegetables that hide in corners all throughout our marinades and sauces and relishes. People see what they wanna see sometimes. So instead of arguing and expending negative energy we just hit ’em hard with the sweet chilli calamari taco and things got quiet on the streets of LA for one hot minute. Welcome to the Kogi familia!”

Ingredients

1 kg calamari, cleaned, sliced into 2cm rings, tentacles halved

2 tbsp lime juice

80 ml olive oil (1/3 cup)

16 10cm-diameter warm corn tortillas

150 gm finely diced white onion (1 cup)

To serve: coarsely chopped coriander, toasted sesame seeds and lime wedges

Chilli sauce

90 ml sweet chilli sauce

1 tbsp finely chopped white onion

½ spring onion, coarsely chopped

3 tsp each coarsely chopped Thai basil and coriander

2 tsp lime juice

1½ tsp finely chopped ginger

1½ tsp sriracha sauce (see note)

1 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tsp dried New Mexico chilli (see note)

1 small garlic clove, coarsely chopped

½ tsp toasted sesame seeds

½ tsp kochukaru (see note)

¼ red birdseye chili (see note), coarsely chopped

Method

Main

1.For chilli sauce, finely process ingredients in a small food processor, season to taste and refrigerate until required. Makes about 150ml.

2.Combine calamari in a bowl with lime juice and half the olive oil and season to taste.

3.Heat a plancha (see note) to high heat, or heat a large frying pan over high heat. Brush tortillas with remaining oil and cook in batches, turning once, until just warm and slightly crisp (1-2 minutes each side). Keep warm.

4.Cook calamari on plancha until just seared (1 minute), then season to taste.

5.Stack tortillas in piles of two, top with calamari, chilli sauce, onion and coriander, scatter with sesame seeds, squeeze over lime wedges and serve.

Note Kochukaru (Korean chilli powder) is available from Korean and select other Asian grocers. Sriracha is Thai chilli sauce available from Asian grocers and select supermarkets. Roy Choi uses serrano chilli and dried Anaheim chilli in his recipe. Both are unavailable in Australia so we’ve substituted dried New Mexico chilli and red birdseye chilli. Dried New Mexico chilli is available from Herbie’s Spices. You can use the flat plate of a barbecue as a plancha.
This recipe is from the March 2011 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.
Drink Suggestion: Cold refreshing lager Drink suggestion by Max Allen
Notes

Roy Choi

Styling by Emma Knowles

Styling by Lynsey Fryers-Hedrick