Up your salt and pepper squid game with Jessica’s fragrant twist.
Everyone loves a cheeky salt and pepper squid now and then. It’s a crowd favourite at yum cha Australia-wide. But if you really love your squid, then it's time to up the ante with this fragrant twist from our dear friend Jessica Nguyen – home cook, host and all-round talent. “It’s an ideal starter for a dinner party, or as one of the many dishes you can include in an Asian banquet,” Jessica says.
But what makes her battered squid so different from the OG? Well, for one thing, Jessica’s recipe calls for makrut lime leaf powder in the batter, an ingredient used in a lot of Southeast Asian cooking.
“The makrut lime makes it incredibly fragrant and gives it more of a Southeast Asian twist on the classic Chinese-style salt and pepper squid recipe,” Jessica explains. They can sometimes be tricky to find, but Jessica tells us they freeze well, and just need a quick five-minute defrost before using so you can make this dish all year round.
According to Jessica, the trick to making this recipe a winner is to use fresh squid and score it finely so that the batter has something to stick to and so the squid curls up into that beautiful shape upon frying. She also recommends using a wok, if you have one, for the best flavour and results.
Because there is a level of spiciness to this delicious dish, it begs for a sweeter style of wine to accompany it. “I love pairing rieslings with spicy Asian dishes, especially affordable Clare Valley bottles like the Knappstein Hand Picked Riesling. It’s citrusy with heaps of lime flavour, making it the perfect pairing for this dish.”
Ingredients
- 300g of squid
6 makrut lime leaves Pinch of salt and white pepper ½ cup of tapioca starch (can substitute with cornflour) ½ cup of rice flour 1 egg 1 cup of vegetable oil (for frying) 1–2 red chillies, finely chopped 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 3–4 spring onion stalks, finely chopped
Method
Clean your squid, score the outside of the tube and then cut into bite-sized pieces. Clean your squid, score the outside of the tube and then cut into bite-sized pieces. Reserving a small pinch for later, place most of the makrut lime powder into the bowl with the squid. Whisk your egg and add it into the bowl with some salt and white pepper. Fold through the flours and mix to combine until you get a smooth batter. Heat your oil in a wok and once a chopstick inserted in the oil starts to bubble, fry your squid in batches, six or so pieces at a time, and drain on a plate lined with a paper towel. Once complete, remove most of the oil from the wok, leaving a generous tablespoon and put on high heat. Add in the garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the chillies, spring onion and remaining makrut lime powder and stir fry for another minute. Add the squid back in and stir fry for another 30 seconds to a minute until the squid is coated in the dressing. Transfer to a plate and, if you feel like it, squeeze some lime juice over it before serving and eating immediately.
