Luke Nguyen's Chilli-salted squid

METHOD

1. Lay the cleaned squid out on a cutting
board, insert your knife into the top edge
of the body and run your knife down
to the bottom. Fold the tube open like
a book. Working from the top right to
the bottom left, make diagonal slices in
the flesh, making sure not to penetrate
through. Then work from the top left
to the bottom right so you now have a
crisscross pattern. Cut the squid in half
from top to bottom, turn it horizontally
and slice through to make 5mm wide
pieces. Place in a bowl with a little salt.

2. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat to
180°C, or until a cube of bread dropped in
the oil browns in 15 seconds. Meanwhile,
whisk the egg white and pour half of it
into the bowl with the squid. Work the
egg white into the squid with your fingers,
then add the potato starch, a little at a
time. Keep adding the starch until the
squid is well covered and feels quite dry.

3. Shake off any excess flour then start adding the squid to the oil, a few pieces
at a time, but in quick succession to
maintain the heat of the oil. Lift out the
starch that floats free of the squid with
a metal strainer and discard. Cook for
3–5 minutes, or until the batter on the
squid feels quite firm when tapped with
a wooden spoon. Carefully pour the squid
into a colander to drain the oil.

4. Drain all but 2 teaspoons of oil from the
wok, then return it to the heat. Add the
spring onion, chilli and garlic, toss to
combine then add the squid. Continue to
toss while shaking over the seasoning mix.
Remove and serve with the salt, pepper
and lemon dipping sauce.

Salt and pepper seasoning mix

1. Put all of the ingredients in a bowl and
mix together well. Makes 2 tablespoons.

Muoi Tieu Chanh – salt, pepper and lemon dipping sauce

1. Combine all the ingredients and mix well.
Makes 2 tablespoons.