Squid and Green Pepper Spice Curry with SN2

It is the season when young squid arrives at the fish counter. This curry keeps tender summer squid barely simmered — it spends only the final three minutes in the pot.

Symphony No.2 is a spice curry blend made for seafood. Coriander's freshness lifts the sweetness of the squid, while the warmth of mace and cassia turns the tomato's acidity into a deep, rounded richness.

Coat the green peppers in oil before they go into the sauce. Their green summer aroma carries into the sauce and lightens the finish. The only part that takes time is the twelve minutes for the onion.

Total time: about 45 min

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• SN2 starter spices (packet of whole spices): 1 packet
• SN2 powder spices (packet of powdered spices): 1 packet
• Squid (body and tentacles) 300 g (about 2 squid; pre-cleaned or frozen squid is fine)
• Green peppers 4
• Onion 1
• Garlic 2 tsp (about 1–2 cloves)
• Ginger 2 tsp (about 1–2 knobs)
• Canned whole tomatoes 1 can (400 g)
• Water 200 ml
• Salt 1 tsp
• Oil 3 tbsp (use any oil you like; for this recipe we recommend rice bran oil or plain white sesame oil)

Preparation

1. Grate the garlic first, then the ginger. If you have no grater, mince them finely.
2. Slice the onion thinly, cutting across the grain.
3. Cut the squid body into 1 cm rings and separate the tentacles into pieces of 2–3. Pat thoroughly dry with paper towels — any moisture left on the squid will make the sauce watery.
4. Remove the stems and seeds from the green peppers and cut them into rough chunks.

Instructions

1. Put the oil (3 tbsp) in a pot over low heat. Once the oil is warm, add the starter spices (the packet of whole spices).
2. When the mustard seeds (the black grains) begin to crackle, add the grated garlic and ginger and fry for about 30 seconds, stirring them through the spices.
3. Add the onion and mix it thoroughly with the spices, then turn the heat to high and cook for about 12 minutes, splashing in a little water now and then, until the onion turns amber brown.

   How far you cook the onion changes the finished flavor dramatically. If a curry turns out "watery", "too sharp with tomato acidity" or "lacking depth", the single biggest cause is moving on to the next step before the onion has turned amber. Cook it for a full 12–15 minutes, until it is properly amber brown.
   The keys are:
   • keep the heat at medium-high to high
   • spread the onion evenly across the pot and leave it, then stir; spread it evenly again, leave it, stir — and repeat
   • whenever you feel it catching on the bottom of the pot as you stir, splash in a little water (in our experience, about 2 tbsp each time, around 5 times in total)
   The splashes of water spread the umami that the heat draws out of the onion through the whole pot, and let you reach amber brown without burning. Letting it catch slightly and then adding a splash of water is actually just right for drawing out the flavor.

4. Once the onion is amber brown, turn the heat to medium, add the green peppers and fry for about 1 minute, until coated with oil. Do not add the squid yet — seafood turns tough when simmered, so it goes in at the very end.
5. Add all of the powder spices and stir them through, as if you were cooking the powder itself.
6. Push the ingredients to one side, add the canned tomatoes, crush the whole tomatoes thoroughly, then mix everything together.
7. Add the water (200 ml) and salt (1 tsp), bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
8. Add the squid and cook over low heat for about 3 minutes. Squid turns tough if overcooked — when the rings turn white and their edges begin to curl inward, turn off the heat.
9. Taste at the end and adjust the salt. Adding salt a pinch at a time until it tastes right to you is the key to a delicious finish.

Inspice Spice Curry spice sets contain no chili, cayenne pepper or other hot peppers — the usual main sources of heat — so adjust the spiciness to your liking.

To add heat, we recommend HOT SPICE "Umakara". It is a blend that adds heat and umami together, so the curry does not simply get hotter — it keeps its aroma while the outline of the flavor tightens. Don't add it to the pot: sprinkle it on little by little after serving into bowls. That way, those who don't like heat can share the same pot.