Sat n Pepper Squid Salad

Nabbed this off the F Word, it looks like a taste overload. Gordon makes it with cucumber in the salad, but as I would rather stick cocktail sticks into my retinas than go anywhere near such an acursed monstrosity then I shall be ommiting any reference to that ingredient.

Ingredients

• 400g baby squid, cleaned
• ½ tsp Szechuan peppercorns
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp five-spice powder
• 5 heaped tbsp cornflour
• Vegetable or groundnut oil, for deep-frying

For the salad:

• 1 medium carrot
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
• Handful of coriander leaves
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil

To serve:

• 1 red chilli, trimmed and finely sliced, to garnish
• Small handful of coriander leaves, to garnish
• Lime wedges

1. First, prepare the salad. Peel the carrot, then slice into long strips, using a vegetable peeler or a mandolin. Cut the strips in half if they are too long. Toss them in a bowl with the red chilli and coriander leaves. In a small bowl, mix together the rice vinegar, salt, sugar and sesame oil; set aside.

2. Open up the cleaned squid and score the flesh making sure not to cut through the flesh completely, once the squid is cored slice the squid (against the score) into thick slices and cut the tentacles in half. Rinse and pat dry with kitchen paper. Using a pestle and mortar, grind the Szechuan peppercorns with the salt to a fine powder. Tip into a small bowl and mix in the five-spice powder and cornflour.

3. Heat a 5cm depth of oil in a wok over a high heat until a piece of bread dropped into the hot oil sizzles vigorously. Deep-fry the squid rings and tentacles in batches: coat with the seasoned cornflour, shake off excess, then immerse in the hot oil, taking care not to overcrowd the wok. Deep-fry for about a minute until lightly golden and crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

4. Keep warm in a low oven while you deep-fry the rest of the squid.

5. Toss the salad with the dressing and divide between serving plates. Pile the crispy squid on top and serve with lime wedges.

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Banana Flitters

Nabbed this off the F Word. These fritters looked incredible and I think the seasame seeds make the difference. Gordon served them with vanilla ice cream, but if possible I'd suggest coconut ice cream as that's what they do at the Number 1 Thai Cafe and I think it's better.

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil for deep frying
• 5-6 large ripe but firm bananas
• Icing sugar to dust

For the batter

• 100g rice flour
• 100g cornflour
• 4 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 250ml water
• Vanilla ice cream, to serve

1. First, prepare the batter. Put the rice flour, cornflour, sesame seeds, five-spice, salt and sugar into a large mixing bowl and stir well. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients then pour in the water. Stir until the mixture is evenly blended and there are no lumps in the batter. It should be fairly thick.

2. About 10 minutes before you will be ready to serve, peel the bananas and cut each one into 3 or 4 short lengths. Heat a 5-6cm depth of oil in a wok or deep heavy-based saucepan until hot. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a little batter into the pan – it should sizzle immediately.

3. Cook the fritters in batches. Dip the bananas pieces in the batter to coat all over, and then carefully lower into the hot oil. Fry for a few minutes until until golden brown all over, turning once. Remove and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Keep warm, while you cook the rest of the fritters.

4. Dust the crisp hot fritters with icing sugar and serve straight away with a scoop of good-quality vanilla ice cream

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