Tender calamari rings coated in a light and crispy batter, generously garnished with fried garlic and chili. An Asian bistro recipe that is easy to recreate at home.
Ingredients
- 400 g squid (tubes and tentacles), cleaned
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/4 tsp MSG
- 60 g cornstarch
- 40 g rice flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 120 ml ice-cold sparkling water
- 1 l neutral oil (grapeseed or sunflower)
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 pieces red bird's eye chilies, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes (crushed chili)
- 2 pieces scallion (green onion), thinly sliced
- 0.5 bunches fresh cilantro, leaves only
- to taste fine salt
- to taste ground black pepper
Method
- Prepare the squid: cut the tubes into rings about 1 cm thick. Leave the tentacles whole or cut into large pieces. Pat thoroughly dry with paper towels.
- In a bowl, toss the squid with the light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, white pepper, and MSG. Let marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature.
- Meanwhile, prepare the batter: in a large bowl, sift together the cornstarch, rice flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Gradually whisk in the cold sparkling water; the batter should be smooth and fairly runny (heavy cream consistency). Keep chilled.
- Prepare the garnish: slice the garlic, bird's eye chilies, and scallion. Pick the cilantro leaves.
- Pour the neutral oil into a large pot or wok and heat to 180 °C (use a thermometer or test with a small piece of bread: it should brown in 30 seconds).
- Fry the sliced garlic in the hot oil until pale golden (about 1 minute). Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
- Quickly fry the sliced bird's eye chilies (30 seconds) and add them to the fried garlic. Set aside.
- Dip the squid pieces one by one into the batter, let the excess drip off, then carefully drop them into the hot oil. Do not crowd the fryer; cook in batches.
- Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until the batter is golden and crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels. Salt lightly immediately.
- Mound the fried calamari on a large serving platter. Generously scatter the fried garlic and chili mixture over the top, then add the sliced scallion and cilantro leaves.
- Dust with a pinch of red pepper flakes and black pepper. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 603.2 kcal
- Protein
- 35.62 g
- Carbohydrate
- 55.78 g
- Fat
- 24.14 g
- Fibre
- 3.11 g
- Calcium
- 140.18 mg
- Iron
- 1.17 mg
- Magnesium
- 46.25 mg