In case some of you may not already know, I originally come from a small town called Kuching (well, it’s really a small city) in Sarawak, Malaysia. Doesn’t ring a bell? Well, it’s on Borneo island. Does that narrow it down geographically? Growing up in Kuching, one of the best FOOD cities I believe IN THE WORLD, I was blessed to have amazing food in abundance. Kuching boasts some of the best food you will ever taste, and they are mostly street food (hawker styled food) and our local restaurants offer the best banquets at the most affordable prices.
To talk about Kuching food all over again would literally take up seven blog posts, so why not I link back to my Kuching Food Adventures Blog Series (Part 1 – Part 7) and you can check it out 🙂
Start here and keep clicking “Newer Post” at the end to view the next blog post.
Anyway, back to my recipe. Butter Sotong aka Butter Squid is one of the dishes I would always order at a local seafood restaurant whenever I’m in Kuching. The deep fried goodness of the calamari topped with a sweet buttery sauce was too good to resist. Completely unhealthy, of course – but who cares when you’re there to indulge in good food, right? So I’ve finally decided that if I really was craving Kuching food that much, then maybe it’s about time I start making the effort to try and cook it myself!
My first attempt.. not bad at all! Very close to the real deal. It didn’t taste that good while it was still hot for some reason, my guess is because the butter when fully melted just tastes disgusting. So, when serving this dish, let it sit for a few minutes. Let the butter “harden up” again so it gives you a much more delightful taste. Once it’s at the right temperature, it is DIVINE. Enjoy! 🙂
Ingredients:
20 squid rings
3 tbsp plain flour
3 tbsp rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
Salt and pepper
1 egg
Enough oil for deep frying
1 heaped tbsp softened butter
1 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tbsp pepper
1/2 tbsp chilli flakes
Method:
Mix plain flour, rice flour and baking powder together. Add salt and pepper to season the flour mix.
Crack egg open in a separate small bowl. Beat egg until smooth.
Heat oil in frying wok until it is hot. Dip squid rings one by one into egg, and then coat with flour, and deep fry until brown and crispy. Once all squid rings are deep fried, set aside.
Mix butter, condensed milk, pepper and chilli flakes together. Using a clean wok, heat butter mixture on medium heat until it starts to bubble and the butter melts. Add deep fried squid rings and stir evenly for a few minutes to heat through. Serve on a plate, let it cool for a few minutes before digging in!
Kimba's Living 
Kimberley, this sounds lovely. Squid can be really nasty if not cooked right but this sounds just right. I'm intrigued by the condensed milk with this. I'm going to have to make this to satify my curiosity. Thanks for pointing me to the Kuching series. Looking forward to checking it out.
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So this is the famous dish in Kuching, next time if i visit Kuching again, i must try this. Good try !
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shit so sinful!
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it looks awesome.. i m not a seafood fan , but i like the calamari this way..
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Fried calamari and a butter sauce. Sold. I need to try making this at home sometime. I order fried calamari whenever I go out to restaurants that offer it. This just looks so appetizing. Yummy!
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you made it sound so easy. Gosh..am drooling after these. But one thing i hate the most is frying.
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OMG I tried this some time ago and been craving it ever since , but didn't know what it was called, A massive thank you for sharing this yummy recipe!
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How fortunate to have such wonderful food traditions!! What a beautiful dish.
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Sounds so nice. I'll make this for my husband (he's from Sibu, Sarawak). Love condensed milk in the sauce.
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delicious battered squid haven't added condensed milk to these types of preperation looks wonderful
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Crispy fried squid is my absolute fav , I amke this all the time but never added condensed milk , next time I will give this one a try , good recipe 🙂
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I still think the Kuching version of Wan Tan Mee is weird.. but I'll let you convince me otherwise 😛
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Looks good! I enjoy deep-fried buttery seafood when I'm in Malaysia, too!
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Butter anything is always welcome. Just as long as I have no idea how much oil is used!
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This looks really good! I've never tried butter squid before and i would love to give this recipe a try soon!
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I used to visit Kuching very often during the days when I was a Apple software trainer. I love the place and the people there are very friendly. Don't put this dish in front of me, no one will have a chance to get a piece! hehe
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OK. Give me a large bowl of these and a couch and I’d be extremely satisfied.
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