Cambodia Recipe : Stuffed Calamari with Kampot Pepper

An easy yet delicious recipe, with many ingredients that are easy to find locally. Preparation and cooking time: about twenty minutes.

Ingredients (serves four)

• Four small calamari, about fifteen centimeters long

• 200 grams of fresh green Kampot pepper

• 50 grams of minced pork shoulder

• Half a carrot, diced

• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• ½ teaspoon fish sauce

• ½ teaspoon liquid palm sugar

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 20 grams glass noodles

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced

• 2 red shallots, diced

Preparation

Cut the calamari tentacles into small pieces on a cutting board. Add the pork and carrot, and chop everything finely together with a sharp knife.

Transfer to a bowl, then add one teaspoon of oyster sauce, sea salt, fish sauce, palm sugar, and onion.Mix well and set aside.

Coat the calamari bodies with a tablespoon of oyster sauce and let marinate for ten minutes.Meanwhile, soak the glass noodles in a bowl of water for ten minutes, then drain and cut into 3‑centimeter lengths. Set aside.

Heat a wok or frying pan over high heat, add the vegetable oil, garlic, and shallots.Stir-fry for about thirty seconds, or until fragrant.

Add the pork mixture and stir-fry for two to three minutes, then add the noodles and stir-fry for another minute.Remove from the pan and let cool.

Stuff each calamari tube with the pork mixture.Heat a pan over medium heat and gently grill the stuffed calamari for about eight minutes, or until the filling is cooked through, turning frequently.

Slice the calamari into sections and drizzle with fish sauce.Serve garnished with a sprinkle of fried shallots and fresh bunches of green Kampot pepper around the plate.