Salt and Pepper Squid with Pickled Cucumber, Pineapple & Coriander Salad + Some Great News!

Salt and pepper are the two most basic and universally considered most important seasonings in almost any cooking. Salt and pepper dishes can be found in almost all Chinese restaurants. Be it squid, spare ribs, prawns or tofu, it's widely accepted as a 'must order' dish purely for the the reason that it's an extremely tasty dish that is enjoyed by both Asian and Western palates.

The most common way to cook a salt and pepper dish is to lightly dust the meat, seafood or tofu in cornflour, potato flour or a mix of both that is seasoned with salt and pepper (crushed black peppercorns, Szechuan pepper or five spice powder can be used). Then deep-fry until lightly brown and crisp. It's can be served with mayonnaise but it's just as good on its own. You can also use unseasoned flour and then sprinkle the salt and pepper mixture after it's been deep-fried. Whichever way, they are all winners.

Today I am using a slightly different method and using more than just salt and pepper. I have added garlic, chilli, green onions and ginger to give the dish a lift. The squid is lightly coated with a cornflour and potato flour mix, deep-fried and then tossed in a lightly fried, fragrant chopped garlic, ginger, chilli, green onions and Szechuan pepper salt mix.

You can use the ready-made Szechuan pepper salt mix from Asian stores or make your own by dry frying 1 tbsp of Szechuan peppercorns, 1 tbsp black peppercorns and 1 tbsp of salt until aromatic. Remove from fry pan and pound in a mortar and pestle until fine.

As simple as it may sound, the dish is wonderful to be served together with a lightly pickled cucumber, pineapple and coriander salad. Perfect for an entree or a light main.

Salt and Pepper Squids Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients

300 g squid tubes
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp potato flour
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped

1 green onion, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp Szechuan pepper salt mix
Oil for deep-frying

Method

1. Cut the squid tubes into 3cm pieces. Marinate with salt.
2. Heat the oil in deep-fryer to 200C.
3. Mix the cornflour and potato flour.
4. Coat the squids in flour mix and dust away the excess flour.
5. Deep-fry in batches for 1-2 minutes or until it's crisp and cooked.
6. Drain on paper towel.
7. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wok over medium high heat.
8. Fry the garlic, ginger and chilli until fragrant. Add Szechuan pepper salt, stir well and then add squid and give it a quick stir.
9. Remove immediately and serve with pickled cucumber, pineapple & coriander salad.

Pickled Cucumber, Pineapple & Coriander Salad

Ingredients

1 Lebanese cucumber, halved, deseeded and thinly sliced
1/2 small pineapple, cut into bite-size
A handful of Coriander leaves, coarsely torn
1 fresh red chilli, thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Method

1. Add sugar and salt to the cucumber in a bowl and toss to mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Rinse the cucumber with cold running water.
3. Add vinegar and toss it with pineapple, chilli and coriander.
4. Serve immediately.

Let's move on to some great news. I have sold my first image to a food magazine. It can be found on Masterchef Magazine March 2011 issue. It's a small image but still exciting!

The 2nd great news is that I was voted #17 of Babble's Top 100 Food Blogs 2011 together with many other talented food bloggers.

The most exciting bit is that Babble also ranked me #5 for best photography which is totally unexpected!