Coriander Calamari Rings

Raise your hand if you love coriander as I do! Love the flavour of coriander seeds, that is why I like to keep as they are and grind them only if I need.

The seed of the cilantro plant is known as coriander. Although cilantro and coriander come from the same plant, their flavors are very different and cannot be substituted for each other. Some countries refer to the cilantro as coriander, so any references to "fresh coriander" or "coriander leaves" refer to cilantro.

In Indonesian cuisine, coriander seed is widely used, but not the leaf or cilantro. Chinese celery leaves are more popular and being used in our cooking. I started knowing about cilantro while I learned about Mexican and Thai cuisine.


Coriander Calamari Rings
Recipe by me

Ingredients:
454 g (1 lb) frozen calamari rings, thawed*

Marinate:
1 tsp freshly ground coriander
1/8 tsp turmeric powder

Breaded:
1/2 cup rice flour
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp freshly ground coriander
salt and freshly ground black pepper as desired
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs with a touch of dried parsley or dried cilantro

Notes:
* Tips to thaw: Place unopened bag of calamari under cold running water for 10 to 15 minutes. Open bag and let drain in colander for about 2 minutes

Directions:
1. Marinate calamari rings with coriander and turmeric and let stand for 15 minutes.

2. Combine rice flour, garlic powder, coriander, salt and pepper. Coat the calamari rings in rice flour mixture, shaking them out to get rid of any excess.

3. Dip them into egg. Dip them into bread crumbs, coating them well, and shaking off any excess.

4. Up to this point may be done in advance, and the calamari rings refrigerated for a couple of hours, until you are ready to fry.

5. While you ready to fry the calamari, heat the oil (the secret to crispy calamari is hot, hot oil, just below the smoking point). Fry the rings (in batches) about 1 minute, or until they are golden. I enjoyed calamari rings with my favourite hot sauce, Indonesian hot sauce. If you feel tartar, honey mustard, mayo, mustard, ketchup or tzatziki for dipping, go ahead.