Hong Kong Style Salt and Pepper Crispy Squid

Place 600g fresh squid on a cutting board, slit open the body down the center, carefully remove the viscera and ink sac, cut off the eyes and beak, and pull out the transparent cartilage bone.

Use your fingernail to peel up an edge of the skin on the squid body and fins, then smoothly pull off the outer purple skin layer completely until the white meat is revealed.

Place the cleaned squid in a large bowl, sprinkle with 1 tbsp cornstarch, rub thoroughly to remove surface slime, and rinse clean under fresh water.

Trim uneven edges off the squid body, and cut tentacles into 2-3 inch segments, as they will shrink during deep frying.

Place the inner side of the squid body facing up. Tilt your knife at a 45-degree angle to make dense parallel cuts, then cut diagonally across to form a criss-cross pattern two-thirds deep.

Halve the scored squid body longitudinally, then cut into bite-sized diamond pieces (approx. 2cm x 4cm) and place in a colander.

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat, blanch the squid pieces for about 10 seconds until slightly curled, scoop out immediately, drain, and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.

In a mixing bowl with dried squid pieces, add 0.5 tsp salt, 0.5 tsp sugar, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp minced shallot, 1 tsp diced red chili, 1 tsp dried chili, 1 tsp spicy bean paste, 1 tsp five-spice powder, 0.5 beaten egg, 1 tbsp spiced cooking wine, 0.5 tsp chili powder, 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper powder, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp fish sauce, and 0.5 tsp white pepper powder.

In a shallow tray, combine 50g all-purpose flour, 50g rice flour, and 50g wheat starch (1:1:1 ratio), and mix well with hands to make a composite dry coating flour.

Pour 800ml cooking oil into a wok and heat over high heat to 180°C-190°C (dense bubbles form around a wooden chopstick tip). Turn off heat temporarily once ready.

Mix marinated squid with hands until sticky and paste-like, add 1 tbsp cornstarch to enhance stickiness. Then pour squid into the dry flour tray and toss with open fingers until each piece is individually coated with dry flour.

Turn heat to medium-low to maintain around 180°C. Gently lower coated squid piece by piece into hot oil, deep fry for about 2 minutes until squid pieces float up and the batter sets light yellow.

Use a skimmer to scoop out all initial-fried squid pieces, then turn heat to high to reheat the oil back to a high temperature.

Return the squid to the hot oil for a second fry over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown, crispy, and dry.

Scoop up all golden crispy squid with a mesh skimmer, shake gently over the wok to drain excess oil, and set aside.

Pour out deep frying oil leaving a little in the wok over high heat. Add 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp minced shallot, 1 tsp diced red chili, and 1 tsp dried chili, stir-fry until fragrant. Add 1 tbsp chopped scallions and splash 1 tsp spiced cooking wine around wok edge for aroma.

Line a serving plate with 50g shredded lettuce, pile the crispy fried squid on top, pour over the hot sautéed garlic and chili topping, and place 1 mint leaf on top to complete the dish.