Ingredients

• 3 bird's-eye chillies
• finely chopped
• seeds optional
• 1 garlic clove
• finely chopped
• 2 heaped tbsp palm sugar
• 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
• ½ lime
• juice only
• 400g/14oz baby squid
• tentacles reserved
• 1 garlic clove
• finely chopped
• 20 garlic chives with flowers (or a bunch of chives)
• cut into 2.5cm/1in lengths
• 5 spring onions
• trimmed
• cut in half and quartered lengthways
• 5 Thai shallots (or 1 banana shallot)
• finely sliced
• 20 plum cherry tomatoes
• halved
• ½ cucumber
• cut in half
• seeds removed
• thickly sliced
• large handful mint leaves
• handful Thai basil leaves (alternatively use normal basil)
• thumb-sized piece of ginger
• peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

Directions

• For the dressing
• grind the chillies and garlic together with the other dressing ingredients in a pestle and mortar. Set aside.
• For the salad
• clean and prepare the squid
• cutting it in half and keeping the tentacles. Remove the skin and score. Set aside.
• Combine the garlic
• garlic chives (or chives)
• spring onions
• Thai shallots (or banana shallots)
• cherry tomatoes and cucumber in a large bowl with the fresh mint leaves and Thai basil leaves (or normal basil).
• Heat a wok or large frying pan with the vegetable and sesame oil. Once hot
• fry the ginger and cook until just turning golden-brown. Add the squid and tentacles and cook for about another 1½ minutes
• or until the squid has curled up and is just cooked.
• Add the dressing from the pestle and mortar to the hot squid and toss through
• then add the hot squid to the salad and mix thoroughly
• serve straightaway.