Szechwan Style Squid
Larger sized squid tubes with thick walls are best suited to this dish.
Serves 6.
Ingredients
500 g/1 lb squid
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 tablespoons cornflour
1 red capsicum
4 spring onions (scallions)
peanut oil for deep-frying
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 tablespoon bottled chilli radish
6 tablespoons chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon oriental sesame oil
Directions
Prepare squid by scoring the flesh and cutting into pieces. Season with salt, pour over the egg white, oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cornflour and mix well. Cover and chill for about 30minutes. Cut capsicum and spring onions into bite-sized strips.
Heat peanut oil and when moderately hot drop in the squid, stirring to keep pieces separate. In less than a minute they will curl and become white. Either scoop out the squid with a large wire spoon, or pour contents of wok through a metal strainer over a metal bowl. Return wok to heat and in the film of oil that remains stir fry garlic, ginger, capsicum and spring onions for 1 minute. Add chilli radish and toss, then add stock and bring to the boil. Thicken with remaining cornflour mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water. Stir in squid and sesame oil, toss well and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)