Jiao Yen You Yu
椒鹽鮮魷·(jiāo yán xiān yóu)
Chapter 3: The Pan-Fried, Deep-Fried & Crispy
For this deliberate weekend project, drag a sharp knife across the squid mantle, scoring a tight crosshatch before heating a wok of 375-degree peanut oil. The secret of the Dai Pai Dong masters is a rapid, pre-fry blanching of the raw squid—a technique called cuan shui—that expels natural moisture so steam won't blow the batter off from the inside out. Pull the meat with a wire spider skimmer the second it curls, tossing it in toasted white pepper and a shattered-glass tapioca starch dredge.
Before you start
Prep the squid.
Clean the squid, removing the cartilage pen and any innards, and rinse thoroughly before scoring.
Make the Huai Yan ahead of time.
The five-spice salt can be prepared weeks in advance and stored in an airtight container.
Ingredients
- fresh tube squid or defrosted tubes and tentacles1 lb
- kosher salt2 tbsp
- Sichuan peppercorns1/2 tsp
- five-spice powder1 tsp
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- granulated sugar1/2 tsp
- Shaoxing wine1 tbsp
- egg yolk1 large
- white pepper1/4 tsp
- potato starch1/2 cup
- peanut oil6 cup
- garlic cloves4 med
- scallions3 med
- bird's eye chiles3 small
Method
- 01
Craft the five-spice salt (Huai Yan).
Toast the 2 tablespoons of kosher salt and Sichuan peppercorns in a dry wok over medium-low heat for 3 to 5 minutes until the salt loses its raw metallic bite and turns slightly off-white. Remove from heat, stir in the five-spice powder to toast in the residual heat, then grind the mixture to a fine powder in a mortar or spice grinder.
- 02
Score the cephalopod.
Slice the squid tubes open longitudinally so they lay flat, and identify the softer interior surface. Using a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle, score a diamond cross-hatch pattern exactly two-thirds of the way through the flesh, then cut into bite-sized rectangles.
- 03
Execute the cuan shui blanch.
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil with the 1/2 teaspoon of salt, sugar, and Shaoxing wine, then drop in the squid pieces for exactly 30 to 45 seconds until they curl into tight cylinders.
- 04
Halt the cooking and dry the squid.
Immediately transfer the squid to an ice bath using a spider skimmer. Drain and aggressively pat bone-dry with heavy-duty paper towels—for best results, leave them uncovered in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to ensure a completely moisture-free surface.
- 05
Apply the egg yolk binder.
In a mixing bowl, toss the completely dry squid with the egg yolk and white pepper, massaging it in so every piece is slicked with a microscopic layer of yolk.
- 06
Dredge in potato starch.
Working in small handfuls, toss the squid in the potato starch, then transfer to a mesh sieve and shake vigorously to dislodge excess powder. The squid should look dusty, not heavily caked.
- 07
Execute the first structural fry.
Heat 3 inches of peanut oil in a wok to 350°F (175°C). Fry the squid in batches for 60 to 90 seconds until the starch coating sets into a pale crust, then remove to a wire cooling rack and rest for at least 3 minutes.
- 08
Flash-fry for the final crunch.
Increase the oil temperature to 390°F (200°C). Return all the rested squid to the oil simultaneously and fry for an explosive 20 to 30 seconds until golden brown and shattered-glass crisp.
- 09
Deliver the wok hei finish.
Drain all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the wok, crank the heat to smoking, and furiously stir-fry the minced garlic, scallion whites, and chiles for 10 seconds until fiercely aromatic.
- 10
Toss and serve immediately.
Dump the crispy squid back into the wok, sprinkle generously with 1 to 2 teaspoons of your prepared five-spice salt, toss rapidly three or four times, and plate immediately with a garnish of raw scallion greens.
Notes
Coordinate the brunch timeline.
Fried items wait for no one. Score, blanch, and chill the squid two hours before guests arrive. Execute the first structural fry while your dumplings are steaming. Drop the squid for its 30-second final flash-fry right as the bamboo steamers hit the table.
Respect the thermodynamics of squid.
Squid cooks perfectly in two distinct windows: rapidly flashed for under two minutes, or braised low and slow for 45. Anything in between yields rubber. The cuan shui blanch does half the work gently, ensuring the meat stays tender during its brief assault in the deep fryer.
From Cook Dim Sum at Home.