All over the world, the loss of the grand ocean liner Titanic, which went down tragically to sit with the fishes 100 years ago this Sunday (April 15), is being remembered. There are a slew of new books on the disaster, a 3-D re-mastering of James Cameron’s 1997 film, Titanic, as well as countless private and open-to-the-public dinners that recreate the final meal served on the great ship.
At the Houston Museum of Natural Science, you can view Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, and on The History Channel and ABC, the documentaries and mini-series continue this weekend.
There will be serious religious services and campy celebrations.
Houston’s own Khun Kay Thai Cafe – always good for a witty turn-of-phrase – falls into the latter group by bringing some of those above-mentioned fishes to the table and temporarily restoring a dish from the cafe’s predecessor, Golden Room restaurant. For one day only – tomorrow (Saturday, April 14) – Khun Kay’s co-owner and chef Kay Soodjai will once again prepare a complicated but popular dish called Jumping Squid. In honor of the day, she’s calling it – are you ready? – her “Thaitanic.”
Thaitanic is a main-course seafood salad with a lot of spice and carefully crosshatched, boiled squid (cone part only). The dish – squid-phobes can substitute shrimp – got its “jumping” moniker because if ordered spicy hot, some people jump on the first bite. More time-consuming to make than most of Khun Kay’s dishes in the fast-casual cafe, it is not on the menu, but Jumping Squid was a top seller in the Golden Room. In fact, some people still call in advance and ask the cafe to prepare it.
Thaitanic will be available only on April 14 for dining in or take out. It sells for $9.95. Here’s the recipe:
THAITANIC
(Khun Kay Thai Cafe’s Jumping Squid)
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
7 Thai chilies, whole (medium hotness)
6 Tbsp. bottled Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
3 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
4 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
6 cups water
24 whole squid cones (save tentacles for another purpose)
mixed greens, torn
METHOD: In a large bowl, add the garlic, chilies, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice and cilantro. Bruise the chilies or add additional ones to increase the hotness. Mix well and set aside.
With a sharp knife, slice one side of the cone so that the cone opens and lays flat. Being very careful not to cut all the way through the squid, gently make diagonal slices, about 1/8 of an inch apart all along the inside of the squid cone. Repeat, at an opposite angle, crisscrossing the first slices to make a lattice pattern, again being careful not to cut through the squid. When finished, cut the squid in half vertically (cutting from top of cone down). Repeat with the rest of the squid.
Bring the water to a rolling boil. Drop the squid into the boiling water in batches, about 6 at a time. As soon as the knife slices begin to stand out, 45 seconds to 1 minute, remove the squid and rinse under cold water. Pieces will curl and look almost like octopus tentacles. Do not overcook! Repeat in batches with remaining squid, letting water return to a boil each time.
Place squid on a clean towel and pat dry. Add to bowl with the sauce and toss thoroughly.
Place mixed greens on a large platter. Place the squid pieces over the top, then pour remaining sauce over the greens and squid. Serves four.
KHUN KAY THAI CAFE, 1209 Montrose at W. Clay, 713-524-9614, khunkaythaicafe.com. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.