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1
First prepare all the ingredients as described above - keep any ends and trimmings of garlic, shallots, coriander root, lemon grass, mint and coriander stalks, and odd bits of lemon grass and a couple of spare kaffir lime leaves aside to flavour the water you're going to cook the seafood in.
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2
Next, make the dressing as it has to sit for at least 15 minutes for the flavours to merge.
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3
To make dressing, mix together all ingredients and taste to ensure there is a good balance of hot, sour, sweet and salty - adjust ingredients as necessary.
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4
Now prepare to cook the seafood.
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5
Using a very sharp knife, score the inside of the squid tubes diagonally, then score in the opposite direction (to form a diamond pattern).
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6
Cut the squid into rough triangle shapes - about 4 per tube.
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7
Prepare a medium bowl of ice cold water, with ice cubes in it, and sit it by the stove.
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8
Fill a large pot with water and add ends and trimmings as described above and a couple of tablespoons of salt.
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9
Bring water to a rolling boil then add the seafood in small batches, cooking prawns for about a minute, and squid for about 30 seconds. (The seafood can be a bit hard to find in the water, so just add a little at a time, and you'll have to 'fish' for it.)
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10
Remove seafood and immediately plunge into iced water. This cooking technique will make the squid so tender you won't believe it!
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11
When seafood is completely cold, prepare salad.
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12
In a large bowl toss together pawpaw, shallots, coriander, mint leaves, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, seafood and 1/4 cup of the hot and sour dressing (serve any remaining dressing on the side).
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13
To present salad, transfer to a plate, bring most of the seafood to the top and arrange decoratively, then sprinkle with crushed peanuts and crispy shallots.
