I’ve been trying, testing, and tweaking this salt and pepper squid recipe since my university days—endless hours of deep-frying bits of squid of all shapes and sizes in different batters. I’ve tried making it with egg, without egg, with different flours, in different oils, yet I ALWAYS come back to the simplest option: no egg, just plenty of seasoned cornstarch or potato starch and a clean vat of high-heating oil. The oil must be nice and clean to ensure you get a good golden brown finish, which is especially important for something as waxy and delicate as squid.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 2 to 4

　　500 g baby squid, cleaned and quills removed (get your fishmonger to do this for you)

　　200 g cornstarch, seasoned with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper

　　3 garlic cloves

　　1 fresh red chile (or 1 bird’s-eye chile if you like it hot)

　　2 spring onions, finely sliced

　　Vegetable oil, for frying

　　¼ teaspoon salt

　　½ teaspoon black pepper

　　

Step 1

Wash the squid tubes and slice them open to lay them flat. Run the tip of your knife along the squid pieces in a diagonal criss-cross pattern (this will help the squid curl up nicely when cooking).

　　

Step 2

Place the squid tubes and tentacles in a mixing bowl and cover with the cornstarch, then cover the bowl with a plate or lid. Hold the bowl and lid together firmly and shake to mix well.

　　

Step 3

After shaking, use your fingers to massage the cornstarch into the squid until each piece is separate and is as dry as possible. Add more cornstarch if necessary.

　　

Step 4

Finely chop the garlic and chiles. Finely slice the spring onions.

　　

Step 5

Build your own wok clock: Place your squid bowl at 12 o’clock, then arrange the garlic, chile, salt, pepper and spring onions clockwise around your plate.

　　

Step 6

Half-fill a large pot, wok or deep-fryer with vegetable oil and heat to 180°C (350°F), or until the tip of a wooden chopstick or skewer starts to fizz after a second or so in the oil.

　　

Step 7

Carefully add the squid pieces and deep-fry for 2–3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the squid pieces carefully with a slotted spoon and drain well on a plate covered with kitchen paper.

　　

Step 8

In a separate wok, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic, chile, salt and pepper, then add the squid and toss together a few times. Transfer to a serving plate and scatter over the spring onion to finish. Serve immediately.

　　Cook's note:

　　Make sure you add the squid to the wok immediately as the chiles will kick up a lot of smoke in the pan if you hang around!

　　Images and text from Chinese Unchopped by Jeremy Pang; photography by Martin Poole. Buy the full book from Quadrille or Amazon.