SQUID AND CELERY SALAD — The Kitchen Scholar

SOURCE: CRAIG CLAIBORNE AND VIRGINIA LEE. THE CHINESE COOKBOOK.

If celery gets an opportunity to reign as a Chinese emperor without garbing the yellow imperial robe, it will probably pick the squid to be its gastronomic wife, and the rest of the proteins will have to settle for the rank of culinary concubines. The squid wins not for its large squinting eyes, which are gouged out for good but rather for its capability to provide a textural and aesthetic contrast and its acceptability to stick with the celery through hot or cold servings in the respective form of stir-frys or appetizers. If the choice is to serve it cold, blanch the mollusk and vegetable separately to retain the freshness even under several hours of refrigeration.

Ingredients

3/4 cup/21 grams dried black tree ears or cloud ear fungus

6 tablespoons/90 mL light soy sauce

1 tablespoon/12 grams granulated sugar

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon/15 mL rice wine vinegar OR red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons/30 mL sesame oil, preferably cold-pressed

2 teaspoons/10 grams hot Chinese mustard

2 pounds/900 grams fresh squid

1 teaspoon/5 grams baking soda

4 ribs celery, trimmed

OPTIONAL: Finely chopped cilantro for garnish, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results

Specific Equipment

3 medium-sized mixing bowls

Sharp knife

Medium-sized saucepan

Mesh strainer

Serves 8 to 12

Instructions

1. Wash the black tree ears or cloud ear fungus to clear off any sand. Soak the black tree ears or cloud ear fungus in a bowl of cold water for few hours, overnight, or until swollen.

2. Combine soy sauce, sugar, salt, vinegar, sesame oil, and mustard in a mixing bowl until well-blended and chill.

3. Rinse and pat the squid dry. Place each squid on a flat surface. Slice off the tentacles just above the eye with a sharp knife and set the tentacles aside. Squeeze out the small round marble-like beak and discard the beak. Remove the entrails from the body of the squid. Pull out the thin purple membrane and discard the skin. Rinse the inside thoroughly with water and drain completely.

4. Split each squid body in half and cut into rectangles measuring about 1.5 inches/3.8 cm by 4 inches/10.2 cm.

5. Place each piece of squid on a flat surface. Score the squid lightly with a diagonal diamond pattern, if desired. Cut the tentacles to bite-size pieces, if desired. Place all squid pieces in a mixing bowl and cover with cold water. Stir in the baking soda and let stand 1 hour.

6. Blanch the black tree ears or cloud ear fungus in a saucepan of boiling water. Let simmer for 2 minutes or until tender. Drain in a mesh strainer and rinse with cold water until chilled. Drain thoroughly and set aside.

7. Cut the celery ribs lengthwise into very thin strips about 1.5 inches/3.81 cm in length. Blanch the celery in a saucepan of boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain in a mesh strainer and rinse with cold water until chilled. Drain thoroughly and set aside.

8. Drain the squid and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Blanch the squid in a saucepan of boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain in a mesh strainer and rinse with cold water until chilled. Drain thoroughly and set aside.

9. Toss the celery, squid, and tree ears or cloud ears into the chilled sauce. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired. Chill until ready to serve.