The other day I watched the movie Chef and it made me think about my boy Dontaye Ball. A few years back we worked together at Google and have remained friends since that time. Unfortunately, we both moved on and haven't worked together since. Damn we used to burn...
In the movie Jon Favreau, the chef basically works for an owner that doesn't allow him to cook with his heart, choosing instead to keep the same old favorites that he thinks his customers want. Problem is most chefs cook with passion, that sometimes requires thinking outside of the box and taking risks. In the end, the Chef decides that he will open a food truck and cook with his heart, the result, a happy chef equals better relationships with those people that matter most in the first place. Here's the connection to my man Dontaye; when we were burning we were learning. There were jokes, laughs, fights, misunderstandings and a lot of other things that happened daily, but the one thing that was consistent was great fucking food and a challenging, learning and family environment. Cooking is fun, painful, tedious, beautiful, tiring, frustrating and rewarding. When you find a kindred spirit with food however, I'd say that cooking is probably a life altering series of lessons that can be applied to the rest of your life. My man Dontaye is one of the most talented chefs that I know. Never fearful, always bull headed but ever learning and inspiring, even to a brother that 3,400 miles away. Dontaye, it's time we opened a food truck together and toured the states dude. You know what it is. Love you brother...
On the Menu Today: Fried Calamari Two Ways
In the movie Jon Favreau, the chef basically works for an owner that doesn't allow him to cook with his heart, choosing instead to keep the same old favorites that he thinks his customers want. Problem is most chefs cook with passion, that sometimes requires thinking outside of the box and taking risks. In the end, the Chef decides that he will open a food truck and cook with his heart, the result, a happy chef equals better relationships with those people that matter most in the first place. Here's the connection to my man Dontaye; when we were burning we were learning. There were jokes, laughs, fights, misunderstandings and a lot of other things that happened daily, but the one thing that was consistent was great fucking food and a challenging, learning and family environment. Cooking is fun, painful, tedious, beautiful, tiring, frustrating and rewarding. When you find a kindred spirit with food however, I'd say that cooking is probably a life altering series of lessons that can be applied to the rest of your life. My man Dontaye is one of the most talented chefs that I know. Never fearful, always bull headed but ever learning and inspiring, even to a brother that 3,400 miles away. Dontaye, it's time we opened a food truck together and toured the states dude. You know what it is. Love you brother...
On the Menu Today: Fried Calamari Two Ways
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| Traditional |
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| Vietnamese Style |
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| Cut into rings |
Fried Calamari Ingredients
- Whole Calamari Cleaned (2 pp)
- Lemon Juice (1 lemon)
- Lime Juice (1/2 lime)
- Thai Chili Peppers (7-10 each)
- Garlic (3 cloves)
- Soy Sauce (2 Tbs)
- Beer (1/2 cup)
- Olive Oil (2 Tbs)
- Sweet Onions (1-2 each)
- Milk (2 cups)
- Garlic Powder (2 Tbs)
- Lemon Juice (1/4 cup)
Slice the onions thinly with a mandolin or a knife. Add the garlic, milk and lemon juice to a bowl large enough to hold the onions and marinate for 15 minutes to an hour. Drain and coat the onions as seen below before frying in the deep fryer in the same fashion as the calamari. This will go by mucg quicker than the calamari so be sure to pay close attention.
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| Marinade |
Flour Mixture
- Flour (1 cup)
- Old Bay (2 Tbs)
- Lemon Pepper (1 tsp)
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| Floured Calamari & Onion Strings |
Cocktail Sauce Ingredients
- Ketchup (2 cups)
- Horseradish (3 Tbs)
- Worcestershire Sauce (2 Tbs)
- Lemon Juice (1 Tbs)
- Old Bay (1 tsp)
- Dill Weed (2 tsp)
- Tabasco Sauce (1 Tbs)
Add all ingredients together and stir.
Fried Calamari Directions
As seen above, start off by taking the cleaned (skinned) calamari and cutting it into rings. Dice the chilies, mince the garlic and add the other ingredient together to make the marinade. Marinate the calamari for 15 minutes to 2 hours. Drain the calamari and add to the flour mixture to coat before deep frying in a fryer preheated to 350 degrees. Plate as desired and add chopped green onions.
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| Calamari & Onion Strings With Cocktail Sauce |
Vietnamese Style Calamari Ingredients
- Mae Ploy Sauce (2 cups)
- Lime Juice (1 each)
- Thai Chilies (4-7 each)
- Green Onions (3-5 each)
- Sesame Seeds (1 pinch for garnish)
- Lime Zest (1 each for sauce and garnish)
Chop the onions and thai chilies and add them to a sauce pot along with lime juice, zest and sweet chili sauce. Heat and toss the fried calamari into the sauce to coat. It's best if you slightly overcook the fried calamari first so that it remains somewhat crunchy as you eat. Plate as seen below and garnish with sesame seeds, green onions and lime zest. Eat immediately.
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| Glazing Sauce |
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| Glaze |
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| Vietnamese Style Calamari |
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