Calamares, Pulutan for Everyone

It was my cousin’s birthday when my father, uncles and aunties decided to drink alcoholic beverage. They wanted to buy a “pulutan” and I insisted that I will be the one to go to the market and find a snack for them. I saw a Mang Carlo’s cart full of costumers, so I wondered why there were many people around his cart. Because of my curiosity I went there and smell something unusual to my nose. Ooh! It was only calamares, kwek-kwek and fried chicken intestine coated with flour.

Calamares is the Filipino version of Mediterranean breaded fried squid dish. A Mediterranean version of fried calamari consists of batter-coated, deep fried squid, fried for less than two minutes to prevent toughness. It is served plain with salt and lemon on the side and sometimes was deeped in tomato sauce.

What makes our Calamares from the foreign version calamari? Aside from its spelling is that our own calamares was served in a stick and partnered with spice vinegar or toyo mansi while their calamari was served on a plate and tomato sauce on the side.

For the Mediterranean Calamari

Ingredients

1 lb calamari rings, soak in milk for 3 hours.

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

Lemon wedges

2 cups cooking oil

For the procedure

1.      Combine the flour , salt, garlic powder and parsley flakes. Mix well and set aside.

2.      Heat the cooking oil on a pan or deep cooking pot.

3.       Drain the milk for the calamari. Dredge the calamari one-at-a-time on the flour mixture and make sure it was completely coated with flour.

4.      Deep fry the calamari in a deep pot and remove until it turn light brown

5.      Strain the calamari to remove the excess oil.

6.       Place on a plate and serve with lemon wedges.

For the Calamares

Ingredients

Large squid, cleaned and cut into rings

1 cup of flour

1 egg

½ cup of breadcrumbs (optional)  for its crunchier texture

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

2 cup of cooking oil

For the procedure

1.      Combine squid (sliced into rings) salt and ground black pepper into a bowl and mix them well let it stand for 5-8 minutes for the squid to absorb the spices.

2.      Heat a cooking pot and pour-in the cooking oil.

3.      Dredge the sliced squid in flour and into the beaten egg.

4.      When the oil is hot enough, deep fry the squid until it turn into a light brown (do not overcook the squid)

5.      Strain the fried squid for 1 minute to remove the excess oil

6.      Place it on a plate or in a stick and deep it in spice vinegar

This is the third year of Mang Carlos in selling this kind of merienda in Antipolo city. He just went here to find a job but he wasn’t able to get a job because he was just an elementary graduate so he decided to have a small business which is the stand for calamares and other goods.

At exactl 1 pm in the afternoon, he started preparing the ingredients he will use in cooking “kwek-kwek” , fried chicken intestines and calamares for his loyal customers. Kuya Adam one of our neighbors is one of the loyal customers of Mang Carlo since he tasted the dish he always buy calamares and fried chicken intestine as their viand or sometimes their “pulutan”.

As I went home bringing the calamares and fried chicken intestine as their “pulutan” my auntie shouted at me “Hooy bilisan mo! Sa cubao ka pa ata bumili niyan”. I silently laugh because I spend a lot of time talking to Mang Carlo but then I find it interesting so I decided to make my own calamares in our home.

After making my own calamares , I went outside our house and gave my own made calamares to them so that they will not lend any money to buy their snack they will just give it to me J))))))))

Calamares is not only for merienda but also a viand for lunch and dinner. It is an easy to make appetizers and “pulutan” for everyone.