I've got an awesome drawing board- Sat 1/10/09

Dear Foodies,

I had the best squid of my life the other night in a night market in Seminyak. This is just you average run-of-the-mill night market and there is no pedigree that would suggest great food but nevertheless, it is the best squid I've had to date in Bali and also in life.

The first reason it tasted so good is that it isn't called "squid". Here in Bali, it is called "chumi-chumi" (pronounced Choomie-choomie). Doesn't that just sound tastier than "squid"?

The second reason is that the chumi comes directly from the boat to the grill, a distance of only a couple hundred yards.

Third, it is nice and thick. For some reason, a lot of the chumi I've had in Bali has been thin. There is no need for that! The thick is better because when it is grilled over coconut husk coals, the outside gets a nice char but the inside stays juicy.

Lastly, they use the best marinade I have ever tried on seafood. It was sweet and spicy and garlicky in the perfect proportions, and is cooked right into the squid. What more could you ask for? Well, I asked for the recipe and a bag of it to go. The lady told me that there were only 5 ingredients(tomato, sweet red chili, garlic, salt, and brown sugar) but that sneaky little fox lied!

I've become accustomed to the locals "forgetting" what goes into the food they have made day in, day out for the last umpteen years. I forgive them too, since their livelihood depends on them giving something that can't be gotten elsewhere. Since I'm hip to this, I never believe anything until I not only have the exact proportions in my greedy little hands, but have tried out the recipe successfully.

To that end, I wisely brought the sample bag to the restaurant and placed it in a bowl on the counter. Then I took out a tray and arrayed the raw ingredients that I thought were in the mysterious concoction. What followed next was nothing short of inspiring.

The other cooks all gathered around, intrigued by the project, and tasted the marinade. All agreed it was very good but they could tell instantly where my ingredients were lacking. One person removed three cloves of garlic, another person demanded both shrimp paste and raw peanuts (both lacking from the woman's recipe), I could tell that there were hot chilies in there as well, but they added another to the two I put out. Lastly, they insisted I use palm sugar instead of brown sugar, and removed a chunk of tomato.

I toasted the shrimp paste, whizzed it all in the blender and then sauteed the paste in a little oil until it thickened and became fragrant. Lo and behold, it was nearly identical to the original. Actually, I thought it was a bit better. Then, as if waiting for his chance, the head chef came over, quietly took a single slice of kaffir lime and squeezed it into the mix.

It is difficult to describe what this did to the marinade. I suppose you could say that it infused it with a little raw electricity and a dash of hot sex so that when you put it into your mouth you felt excited and just a little bit guilty about feeling so good.

The difference between really good food and fucking great food is as simple and as difficult as this. Anybody can follow a recipe, so why aren't all restaurants as good as the French Laundry? How can we find that crucial thing that takes a dish to the next level, or even the level after the next level. How many times have we bitten into food and been well satisfied, when all it would have taken was that little something extra to make it mind-blowing. This is both miraculous and sickening to me, because it makes me realize how much there is to learn. I never thought there was an endpoint but still, getting humbled by a lime can be an eye-opening experience.

The end result is that I have what is to me, the best seafood marinade in the world (especially for Chumi). All it took was a taste-test, a team of Balinese chefs, their decades of experience, and a single slice of Kaffir lime.

All the best,
Alex

Here is the recipe:

Tomato Sambal/Bumbu

small tomato 1
raw peanuts(skin off) 1 Tbsp
hot chili 3
sweet red chili 4
shrimp paste 2 tsp (less if you don't fancy the rather strong but lovely fishy taste)
Palm Sugar 2 Tbsp (brown sugar is ok at substitute...but a little different)
Salt 1tsp
kaffir lime 1 nice squeeze
If you want to get really fancy you can take the kaffir lime leaves, slice incredibly thin and mix a pinch in with the cooked bumbu. Don't cook the leaves or the juice.

Directions:
-Toast trassi until it is a bit dry. Over an open flame is good, but don't burn it.
-Whiz all ingredients in blender except kaffir until pretty smooth. You may need to add a little water to aid blending.
-Saute until fragrant. Should not be wet. Cook out most of the water.
-Paint any grilling seafood or fish with the mixture a few times as it cooks. You can also marinate the seafood in it as well.