Giggling Squid - The Giggling Squid Cookbook: Tantalising Thai Dishes to Enjoy Together

Food has always played a central role in my life. My earliest and often favourite childhood memories of growing up in Thailand always seem to focus on food. Thailand is teeming with natural resources beautiful herbs, spices and vegetables and being quite an adventurous kid, I spent many happy hours climbing trees to pick mangoes and tamarind and occasionally helping myself to a handful of glossy red chillies growing on my neighbours land on the banks of the Mekong River!

The inspiration behind our Giggling Squid menus and the recipes included here comes from traditional Thai dishes but also a lifelong fascination with natural ingredients instilled in me from childhood trips with my mum to our local food markets. Id wander past tubs of live prawns, glistening rows of fresh fish packed in ice, bundles of green leafy vegetables, baskets of colourful fruits and small, sizzling grills with all manner of delicious treats my favourite being Moo Ping pork skewers.

Its not simply the rich variety of ingredients that defines Thai food its also how we eat our meals. In Thailand, we dont really have the concept of starters and mains, its all about serving an array of different dishes to bring balance to the meal, and well often choose a soup, stir-fry and spicy salad to offer that variety. Most importantly, its about sharing and enjoying the dishes together and, in that sense, even a simple family dinner becomes an occasion. It was a longing to bring this spirit of Thai mealtimes to the UK that inspired me and my husband Andy to create Giggling Squid.

I moved to the UK to study in Brighton and in my spare time I waitressed at a local Thai restaurant, which is when I fell in love with the restaurant business (Andy, too, but thats a different story), with its buzz, fast pace and that sense of fulfilment when your guests are relishing their food. Mealtimes in Thailand are sociable and super relaxed theres no standing on ceremony! Its all about good food and good company and this is what I wanted to bring to the UK food scene.

Andy and I opened our first Thai restaurant in Brighton in a tiny, rickety fishermans cottage with dodgy electricity and the kitchen in the basement, with Andy and I taking turns to wash up. Our first ever Thai tapas menu is still going strong in our restaurants today and I have now been in the hospitality business for over 20 years, which I cant quite believe. And of course, the question we are always asked the name Giggling Squid was originally the nickname for one of our three kids (were not allowed to say which one!).

I hope you enjoy trying out the recipes. People sometimes express a nervousness when approaching Thai cooking because they are unfamiliar with some of the ingredients. I always give the same advice: Hot and fast and dont forget to have fun!. If you cant find the exact ingredient, experiment and dont be afraid to add your own personal touch. Enjoy.

Co-founder

Forget food envy, Thai tapas is the perfect way to indulge in the variety of textures and flavours that Thailands food is known for. This way everyone gets a little taste of everything.

These found their way onto our menu by popular demand as we used to only offer them as canaps at opening parties for new restaurants. But people loved the crisp pastry and the herby chicken filling, and theyre now one of our most most-requested dishes.

• 250g minced chicken
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into small dice
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into small dice
• 4 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp cracked black pepper
• 4 tsp granulated sugar
• 4 tbsp Stir-fry Sauce (see recipe )
• 500ml vegetable or rapeseed oil, plus extra for greasing
• 5 sheets of spring roll pastry
• 200ml sweet chilli sauce, to serve

• 400ml water
• 250g granulated sugar
• 500ml light soy sauce
• 30g cornflour or potato starch

To make the Stir-fry Sauce, mix all the ingredients together in a pan over a low heat until the sugar and cornflour have dissolved. Leave to cool and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Put the chicken in a large mixing bowl, add the vegetables, coriander, salt, pepper, sugar and stir-fry sauce and mix well.

Lightly grease your hands with oil and form the mixture into 16 equal, round meatballs, reserving a little to test the oil. Cut 4 sheets of spring roll pastry into 4 equal pieces to create 16 rectangles. Place a meatball in the centre of each piece of pastry and wrap into a pouch. Cut the remaining sheet of spring roll pastry into long strings and use one to tie the money bag together at the top. Repeat with the remaining meatballs and spring roll pastry you should have 16 money bags in total.

Pour the oil into a wok or deep saucepan and heat over a medium to high heat. To test if the oil is hot enough, add a small meatball. If the oil sizzles and the meatball starts to colour quickly, it is ready.

Place the money bags into the hot oil and deep-fry for 45 minutes until golden brown. You may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan.

Serve 4 money bags per person with 50ml of the sweet chilli sauce on the side for dipping.

Theres just something about the sight and aroma of chicken satay skewers lined up on a small open grill in a street market. Often, its the first scent that greets you in the taxi ride from the airport as you touch down in Thailand.

• 320g chicken breast, cut into 20g slices
• 2 tbsp crushed garlic
• 4 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
• 4 tbsp honey
• 4 tbsp evaporated milk
• 16 short bamboo skewers

• 175ml sweet chilli sauce
• 4 tbsp roasted unsalted peanuts, crushed

Put the chicken in a large mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix well and leave to marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.