Perfect for a starter, party food or a side dish, the irresistible combination of a crispy coating and hot, tender squid alongside a spicy dipping sauce makes this a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
Ingredients
For the squid:
- 85g cornflour
- 85g plain flour
- 2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp ground Szechuan peppercorns
- 400g squid, cleaned and cut into strips
- Vegetable oil, for frying
For the dipping sauce:
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 1/2 a cucumber, diced
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 100ml rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp fish sauce
Method
- Begin by making the dipping sauce, by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Set to one side.
- In another bowl, combing the cornflour and plain flour with both peppers and a good pinch of sea salt. Leave to one side, and line a baking tray with kitchen paper.
- In a deep wok, heat about 7cm of the oil until it is ready to fry in – you can test this by dipping the end of a wooden spoon in; if it bubbles then you’re good to go. Coat the squid with the flour mixture, and fry in batches for about 2 minutes until crisp.
- Lift the squid out of the wok and set down on the kitchen paper to drain. Sprinkle with a little more salt, and serve with the dipping sauce.
Lead image: rez-art via Getty images.