Tacu Tacu + Squid = Squid stuffed with Tacu Tacu
Since this week I have been experimenting with Tacu Tacu, and last week I learned how to clean and stuff a squid, last night I decided to introduce the squid to the Tacu Tacu — “hello squid, prepare to be stuffed by the spiciest rice and beans you have ever met.” The inspiration was a recipe I discovered in one of Gaston Acurio’s books, La Cocina Nikkei, which focuses on the fusion of Japanese and Peruvian cuisines.
In the morning, I picked up some sustainable Monterrey Bay squid at Bi-Rite Market in the Mission, and since I had some left-over rice and beans from a previous Tacu Tacu experiment, all I needed to do was clean the squid and prepare the garlic, onion, and aji amarillo sofrito. There was no need to make Tacu Tacu pancakes so I just sauted the the sofrito and Tacu Tacu in a large skillet before stuffing it in the squid.
The original recipe called for making a Teriyaki sauce from scratch, but I used some leftover Soy and vinegar sauce from another dish instead. I cooked all six squid tubes in a large skillet, just a minute on each side, added the sauce and some lime juice, and served it with a salad and white wine. The result was spicy, tender, moist, and citrusy — a perfect example of how two cultures can create a truly unique dish.