Ingredients
| FOR THE OCTOPUS | |
| 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil | |
| 1 onion, coarsely chopped | |
| 2 carrots, peeled and chopped | |
| 1 head garlic, halved around its equator | |
| 3 sprigs thyme | |
| 2 litres water | |
| 1 litre white wine (it’s okay to use wine from a box, not a bottle) | |
| 3-5kg octopus, cleaned | |
| FOR THE MARINADE | |
| 300g tandoori paste (I used Patak’s) | |
| 60ml tomato sauce | |
| 1 tablespoon honey | |
| 1 tablespoon golden syrup | |
| 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar | |
| FOR THE YOGHURT | |
| 80ml goat yoghurt | |
| 80ml Greek yoghurt | |
| FOR THE COCONUT SAMBAL | |
| 2 cups desiccated coconut | |
| 3 lemons, juiced | |
| 1 bunch coriander, chopped | |
| ½ red onion, finely sliced | |
| ½ punnet cherry tomatoes, sliced in half | |
| 1 teaspoon chilli powder |
Instructions
| 1. | OCTOPUS |
| 2. | Heat the grapeseed oil in a deep pot over a medium heat. |
| 3. | Add the onion, carrots, garlic and thyme. |
| 4. | Fry until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. |
| 5. | Pour in the water and the wine and bring to a simmer then lower the heat. |
| 6. | Carefully lower the octopus into the pot, making sure it’s fully submerged. |
| 7. | Taking care not to let the stock boil, gently simmer until the tip of a small knife slides easily through an octopus arm (about 2 hours), keeping things low and slow. |
| 8. | Remove the octopus from the liquid onto a plate and allow to cool. |
| 9. | Discard the cooking liquor. Cut the legs away from the head and throw the head away. |
| 10. | MARINADE |
| 11. | Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. |
| 12. | Add the octopus’ legs; toss everything together until well- coated in the marinade. |
| 13. | Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. |
| 14. | YOGHURT |
| 15. | Combine the two yoghurts and season with salt. Cover and refrigerate. |
| 16. | COCONUT SAMBAL |
| 17. | In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together and season with salt. |
| 18. | Work the mixture with your hands until it comes together. |
| 19. | TO FINISH |
| 20. | Heat some grapeseed oil in a large cast-iron grill pan over a high heat. |
| 21. | Remove the legs from the marinade and shake off any excess mix. |
| 22. | Carefully place the legs into the pan and cook for about 3 minutes per side. |
| 23. | The marinade will start to blacken but this is okay. |
| 24. | Remove the legs to a chopping board and, if required, cut each leg into even-sized pieces. |
| 25. | To serve, put sambal in the centre of the plate. |
| 26. | Arrange octopus pieces on top. Drizzle with olive oil and serve yoghurt on the side. |
Food and recipe styling Martin Bosley / Photography Amber-Jayne Bain