Clarifying differences between squids, cuttlefish, octopus, sotong, calamari, and how to stuff squid with vegetables

Am I getting more sotong? I find myself asking questions that should have already been addressed in primary school science, like what is lamb and how is it related to sheep, or how many tentacles does a cuttlefish have, as opposed to a squid and are we talking about the same sea creature?

According to my Ultimate Book of Fish and Shellfish, they are "cephalopods" (now, this word is definitely new to me), a type of mollusc which makes them a closer relative to snails than to fish.

Cuttlefish: Has a flattened oval head and eight stubby tentacles and two long tentacles for catching its prey.

Squid: Has elongated heads and slender torpedo-shaped bodies. Also ten tentacles, two of which are very long. In French, squid is calmar; in Italian, it is calamaro...so now I know why we also call squid calamari. And finding that I am still having trouble telling squid and cuttlefish apart, Remi explains that squid has longer tentacles than cuttlefish.

Octopus: This is easier to differentiate, as it has eight equal-size tentacles and a roundish head.

And yes, it's not exactly that common, but we've sighted cuttlefish while snorkelling/diving in Tioman and Tarutao, just like on the right.

Now the confusing part. Using an online English-Malay translator, I try to clarify what exactly does the Malay word sotong stand for - squid, cuttlefish or octopus (Grilled sambal sotong is one of the must-haves when you go for beach holidays in Malaysia). Cuttlefish is translated as "sotong", squid is also translated as "sotong", and octopus is translated as "sotong kurita ". >00< And different websites give different answers. Total confusion.

The confusion seems to clear up when it comes to the cephalopods' Chinese names:
Cuttlefish: 乌贼/墨鱼/花枝
Squid: 鱿鱼
Octopus: 章鱼/八爪鱼

Except that I realise that what I thought for years to mean cuttlefish in Chinese is actually squid.

And a few fun facts about squid and cuttlefish.
Sotong, in Singlish/Malay lingo, also mean dumb like squid (even though squids have proven to be smart creatures)...used with "blur" which is a mental state somewhere between spacey, oblivious.

And in Chinese, "fry squid" (抄魷魚) actually mean you're being fired by your boss.

And the Chinese word for cuttlefish, 乌贼, literally mean black thief, in reference to its ability to emit black ink.

Now to the main point on how to cook Vegetable-Stuffed Squid. Other than carrots, I've interchangeably used red peppers or leek (as suggested by original recipe). It's quite flexible in terms of what type of vegetables you can use to stuff the squid.

Vegetable-Stuffed Squid
Serves two

2 medium squid, skinned and cleaned
2 tbsp of butter (it is absolutely important to use butter for the taste)
2 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
1 shallot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 peppers (red, yellow or green, you choose), finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1/2 cup chicken stock
olive oil
chopped parsley
salt and ground black pepper
2 tomatoes, sliced (optional)

Preheat oven to 220C. Cut off tentacles of squid and chop these finely. Set aside.

Melt half the butter in a large frying pan. Add fresh white breadcrumbs and cook until they are golden brown. Stir to prevent them from burning. Set aside.

Heat the remaining butter, add the chopped vegetables and cook until softened but not browned. Stir in the stock and cook until it has reduced and the vegetables are very soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to bowl of breadcrumbs. Mix together.

Heat olive oil in frying pan, and add the chopped squid tentacles over high heat for 1 minute. Stir in the vegetable mixture, and then the parsley. Well, I used frozen squid, so I conveniently skipped this step.

Using a teaspoon or whatever, stuff the vegetable mixture into the squid tubes. Do not overfill them as the stuffing will swell during cooking. Secure with toothpicks.

Heat olive oil in pan and placed the stuffed squid in the pan and cook until they are sealed on all sides and lightly browned.

Transfer the pan to the oven (if it's oven proof, if it's not, to an oven proof dish, making sure you spoon out the leaked out juice into the dish) and roast the squid for 20 minutes.

For juicier results, lined the sides of the dish with sliced tomatoes, sprinkle some olive oil and herbs (like basil leaves, or oregano).

Serve with rice or cous cous.