Recipes

Thai Charred Squid (Pla Muek Yang)

April 24, 2015

Long before she owned a driver's license or a restaurant—Kin Khao in San Francisco—Pim Techamuanvivit was a connoisseur of Thailand's best roadside treats. This grilled squid dish, covered in a tangy sauce and topped with peanuts and cilantro, is one of her favorites.

This Thai grilled squid dish, covered in a tangy sauce and topped with peanuts and cilantro, is a favorite of Kin Khao's Pim Techamuanvivit.

Yield: serves 2-4

Ingredients

10 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
6 green birds eye chiles, stemmed, seeds removed, and roughly chopped
¹⁄₂ cup palm sugar
5 tbsp. fish sauce
¹⁄₄ cup fresh lime juice
2 lb. squid tubes and tentacles, cleaned
2 tbsp. canola oil
Chopped peanuts, for garnish
Roughly chopped cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

Combine garlic and chilies in a mortar and pestle and pound until it forms a paste; add sugar and grind until sugar has dissolved. Add fish sauce and lime juice and stir to combine. Set sauce aside. Working with one squid at a time, make 1" cuts on squid tubes about halfway through; season with salt and pepper. Heat a charcoal grill or set a gas grill to medium-high. (Alternatively, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.) Brush squid with oil and, using a grill press, cook, until charred and cooked, 4-6 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with sauce; sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro.