Salt-and-pepper squid works well with stir-fried greens and rice or with a salad on the side. Add extra chilli if you like more of a kick.
Salt-and-pepper squid
The classic you know and love, ready in a flash.
- Serves 4
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Ingredients
- ½ tsp black peppercorns
- ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 75 gm (½ cup) cornflour
- 4 small squid, cleaned, cut into 4cm pieces and scored in a crosshatch pattern
- Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 2 eggwhites, lightly beaten
- 1 long red chilli, seeds removed, finely sliced
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- Coriander and lemon wedges, to serve
Method
- 1Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add all the peppercorns and dry-roast until fragrant (20-30 seconds; see cook's notes p176). Crush with 1 tsp sea salt flakes with a mortar and pestle until finely ground, then combine two-thirds with cornflour in a shallow bowl and reserve remainder.
- 2Pat squid dry with paper towels. Heat 5cm oil in a wok over medium-high heat to 180°C. Dip squid in eggwhite, then in cornflour mixture to coat thoroughly, shaking off any excess, and deep-fry in batches, stirring to prevent catching,
until light golden (2-4 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. - 3Add chilli, spring onion and garlic to oil, and deep-fry until golden (10-20 seconds). Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Combine squid and chilli mixture in a bowl with coriander and scatter over remaining peppercorn mixture. Serve with lemon wedges.