Here is a quick stir-fry that you might serve with Plain Jasmine Rice and Corn with Aromatic Seasonings.

　　

Ingredients

serves 3¿4

　　1 pound cleaned squid

　　2 cloves garlic, crushed to a pulp

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　4 tablespoons well-chopped cilantro

　　1/4–1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

　　1 tablespoon chickpea flour

　　10–15 fresh curry leaves, or 6 fresh basil leaves

　　3 tablespoons olive or canola oil

　　1/2 teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds

　　2 dried hot red chilies

　　1 tablespoon lemon juice

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Cut the bodies of the squid crossways into 1/4-inch-thick rings and separate the tentacles, cutting up those that seem very long. Wash well, drain in a colander, and then pat dry. Combine the squid, garlic, salt, cilantro, cayenne, chickpea flour, and curry leaves in a bowl. Mix well and set aside for 15 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Put the oil in a nonstick frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the mustard seeds. As soon as they start to pop, a matter of seconds, put in the red chilies. They will darken quickly. Now put in the squid and spice mixture from the bowl. Stir and fry on high heat for 1 1/2–2 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the lemon juice and black pepper. Stir to mix.

　　

notes

Step 3

Squid is now available all cleaned and ready to cook. All you have to do is cut it up as you desire. It is very simple to cook if you know its idiosyncrasies. Since it can get tough very easily, you have to either cook squid very fast, for 1–2 minutes on very high heat, or stew it slowly and gently for at least 45 minutes. The former results in a firm texture while the latter makes the squid pieces pliable and soft. The next two recipes give examples of both techniques.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.