2
Ingredients
1 kg squid tubes, halved lengthways
250 g rice flour
200 g cornflour
3 tablespoons salt flakes
4 tablespoons ground white pepper
2 teaspoons caster sugar
4 egg whites, lightly beaten vegetable oil, for deep-frying (approx. 2 litres) lemon or lime wedges, for serving
Method:
1. open out the squid tubes, wash and pat dry. Place on a cutting board with the inside facing upwards. score a fine diamond pattern on the squid, being careful not to cut all the way through. cut into pieces about 5 cm x 3 cm. alternatively, keep the tubes whole and slice into rings or cut open as above and slice into strips.
2. combine the rice flour, cornflour, salt, pepper and sugar in a bowl. fill a deep-fryer or large saucepan one-third full of oil and heat to 180ºc (350ºf), or until a small cube of white bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown in 15 seconds.
3. Dip the squid into the egg white and then into the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. cook batches of the squid for 1–2 minutes, or until the flesh turns white and curls. Drain on paper towels. serve with lemon wedges.
HINTS AND TIPS:
* You will need—cutting board, cook’s knife, 2 bowls, weight and spoon measures, and a deep-fryer or large, heavy-based pot or wok for deep-frying.
* Squid and calamari are in fact two different creatures but are as close as cousins. In this recipe ‘either or’ should be your motto. Try also using the very tasty cuttlefish, a stumpier version of the aforementioned. Never use frozen squid tubes, especially large ones; they are watery and tough and you’d do better with a bag of rubber bands.
* Other pepper can be used in this recipe; replace the white pepper with 2 tablespoons black pepper (crushed and ground) and 2 tablespoons Sichuan pepper. It is recommended that the salt and peppers are drytoasted in a pan for several minutes, cooled on a tray and then pound in a mortar and pestle or a spice/coffee grinder to enhance their fragrance.
* To check the temperature of the oil—other than dropping a piece of bread into it—use a sugar thermometer.
* To dispose of used deepfrying oil, there are several steps that need to be followed.
1. Allow the oil to cool completely, preferably until the next day.
2. Make sure you keep the container and lid in which the oil came or have an alternative container (like a used milk container with screw-cap lid).
3. If the oil can be used again, it will need to be strained. This can be done through a paper towel-lined sieve, which is placed on a funnel directly over the storage container.
4. If the oil is being kept, keep it in the fridge until it is needed again. This keeps it out of the light and the coldness will keep the oil from turning rancid too soon.
5. If the oil is to be thrown out, pour the cold oil straight into the bottle, fasten the lid and place in the bin.
6. Or, if you deep-fry often, speak to your local council as they may have a collection depot nearby where you can drop off used cooking oil which they then on-sell to companies that make truck fuel or soap—true.
* Other flours can be used instead of the rice and cornflour mentioned in this recipe. If there is only plain flour in the pantry and the recipe must go ahead, then use plain flour. Selfraising flour will also work. In fact, any type of flour can be used with only minimal difference to the final outcome.
* Other seafood can also be adapted to this recipe. Try thinly sliced white-fleshed fish, or whole scallops. Some fish may not work quite as well and these include most oily fish like salmon, tuna, marlin and swordfish.
* Serve these tasty seafood morsels with a dipping sauce. Tartare sauce, thousand island dressing, sweet chilli, soy sauce or shoyu are all recommended. Accompaniments like lemon, lime, fresh chilli and
coriander can also be served on the side.
