scallops etc.

[mongo_jones]

this is inspired by the mussels thread. being largely north, east and hyderabad centered in my indian orbit i'd never encountered mussels (or for that matter shellfish outside of shrimps/prawns, crabs and lobsters) in the indian food context. it doesn't surprise me to learn that keralaite and konkani cuisines incorporate mussels, cockles etc. how about scallops? i hadn't even heard of scallops till i came to the u.s? are there indian cuisines that have traditional recipes for scallops? if not, can anyone share their own innovative scallop recipes? and also for squid and octopus.

[Suvir Saran]

I really am not sure what traditional recipes there are that use scallops.. certainly they must exist... Vikram or Episure and Prasad could better answer that...

I can only say that they lend themselves brilliantly to Indian cuisine. From many diverse regions no less. They also make the table look brilliantly chic.

Hemant Mathur, Peter Beck, Prasad (yes our own eGulleteer Prasad2), the late Raji Jallepalli Riess, myself and many other chefs have cooked with them and given them some notoriety and presence in the world of Indian cuisine in the US.

You can use them with most any sauces you like.

Think also of pairing them with sauces based on herbs and greens. They work amazingly well together. Think of grilling them on a stove not tandoor.. they are easy to cook and they look amazing.

You can steam them wrapped in banana leaves... and they cook amazingly fast.

They look great nestled in crispy veggies, taters or just atop a spicy sauce.

[Episure]

mongo_ jones, you beat me to it , I was going to ask the same question.

We do use squid here on the western coast and I like to make it dry style ala chicken 65 or just stir fried with chat masala. You have to be very careful to not overcook it.

Suvir, tell more about cooking Scallops, I've always liked them in Japanese restaurants. I paused this post to speak to my seafood supplier, with whom I had placed an order for Reef Cod, says he's never come across Scallops. Though I am sure they are available as sometime back I had purchased a set of empty shells to use as serving crockery for sea food preparations. I guess they havent made it into Indian cuisine and that excites me to explore this selfish quest.

[Episure]

the late Raji Jallepalli Riess,

I wonder who's looking after her restaurant now. Any one knows about the present situation?

[mongo_jones]

squid stir-fried with chaat masala sounds intriguing--would you be willing to share a recipe/cooking times?

[Episure]

Cut 250 grams squid body so that each piece resembles a tube approx 1" L X 1/2" dia, the basic idea is to get bite sized pieces. Wash, drain and apply salt.

Melt butter/oil in a pan, add squid rings and stir fry till they curl up and turn white. Add Chaat Masala, remove from heat and serve.

Using this as a basic recipe you can try variations like mustard oil, red chilli, curry leaves, panch phoron, onion, grated coconut, garlic ........

If you lightly score the surface with a knife, you'll get a knurled effect which has ridges to hold the seasoning or oil. Somewhat like spiral pasta.

Dont worry too much about overcooking, it just becaomes a little chewy. A couple of times and youll get it right.

Let me know how it turned out.