Yesterday was a sad day. I had to return Into the Vietnamese Kitchen to the library. I tried to extend my loan but someone else had it on hold. Bugger. Double bugger if it was someone putting it on hold because of my raving about it. So I cooked a last meal from it.

Today though, was a happy day as my very own copy arrived in the post, badly packaged and a little battered but MINE. So many more Vietnamese delights to come.

Back to last night, I did the pan fried stuffed squid and just served it Western style with a green salad from the garden on the side.

Pan Fried Stuffed Squid with Ginger Lime Dipping Sauce
300g diced pork (or mince, I used diced and minced it in the thermomix)
2 squid (make them small or they’ll never cook through), clean tubes and retain tentacles
1 bundle cellophane noodles, soaked and cut into small pieces
1 cm piece of ginger grated
1 teaspoon palm sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
rice bran oil for pan frying

Finely dice tentacles and mix with pork, noodles, ginger, sugar, fish sauce. Stuff into squid tubes. Cut a small piece off the skinny end for steam to escape and thread a bamboo skewer through the big end to seal shut.
Fry squid in oil, turning every few minutes until all sides are browned. It takes about 10 minutes for a smallish tube to cook through.

Ginger Lime Dipping Sauce
2cm piece ginger finely grated
juice 3 limes
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons palm sugar.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.