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Cuttlefish paste
墨魚滑
“The cuttlefish must be cold and dry, or it will not beat to a paste.”
Ingredientsserves 6
Equipment
- A food processor, pulsed; or a cleaver and some patience
- A pair of gloves; the ink stains hands and boards
- A large bowl, chilled in the fridge first
How the time splits
- 25 minClean the cuttlefish: out with the ink sac and bone, and peel off the skinhands on
- 20 minBeat it to a paste and throw it until springyhands on
- 1 hr 30 minChill in the fridge for one to two hourshands off
Method
- Clean the cuttlefish. Pull out the head and tentacles and cut away the eyes and beak. Lift out the ink sac carefully without breaking it, and remove the white cuttlebone from the body. Peel off the outer skin and the thin membranes inside and out.
- Dice the tentacles finely and set them aside. Cut the body into strips, pat them dry with kitchen paper and chill them for fifteen minutes. The colder and drier the cuttlefish, the stickier the paste.
- Put the strips in the food processor with the salt and pulse to a paste with a little texture left. Do not let the machine run: it warms the paste and the paste falls apart. Without a processor, chop it fine with a cleaver.
- Put the paste in the chilled bowl with the egg white, sugar, pepper and cornflour and stir in one direction until thick and sticky, then fold in the diced fat, the tentacles and the sesame oil.
- Gather it in your hand and throw it back into the bowl until the surface is smooth and it springs back when pressed. Cover and chill for one to two hours.
- At the table, scoop it into the boiling broth in small balls with a spoon dipped in cold water. Once they float, give them a minute more; they are done when white and opaque in the middle.
- Any raw paste you will not use goes into the freezer the same day, pressed flat; use it within a month. Thaw it in the fridge the night before, or in its bag under cold running water, and never refreeze it.
The short route
- Ready-made cuttlefish paste from a Chinese grocer's freezer, moved to the fridge the night before.
- Cleaned frozen cuttlefish from the fishmonger saves the cleaning and peeling; cut it into strips and go straight to the beating.
The sauce plate
Take care
- Contains cuttlefish (a mollusc), egg and pork (pork fat); the soy in the saucers contains soy and wheat (gluten).
- Keep the raw paste in the fridge until it goes to the table, and out for no more than two hours; the spoon for the raw paste never goes in anyone's mouth. Eat it only once it floats, after a minute more, opaque in the middle. Never refreeze paste that has been thawed.
The story
Springy cuttlefish paste is a common plate in Hong Kong hotpot shops. Frozen cuttlefish is easy to buy in Australia, and one batch at home freezes for several meals.
Same kind
Lo Fo Tong is cultural food-heritage reference, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, unwell or on medication, talk to your doctor or registered practitioner before changing what is in the pot.