Flash-Fried Squid

I wanted to eat shrimp tonight but picked up a pound of squid instead from Whole Foods that called out my name. My intent was to eat light for dinner with the least amount of time spent cooking. I got just that with this Asian-flavored salad.

I used the Chinatown-bought wok here that I inherited from my brother. He said he couldn’t really control how hot it got so he didn’t become a fan. I didn’t mind a new toy in the kitchen as long as it’s lightweight and could be stored inside the stove.

Flash-frying in a wok can be super rewarding. They key is to keep it moving, so while you’re adding the rest of the ingredients, you’re sautéing and tossing the squid pieces at the same time. All you need is about 3 minutes for the pound of squid here; any longer and the squid will be too tough and chewy.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 lemongrass stalk, coarse outer layer peeled, softer inner core, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
a small knob of ginger, peeled, sliced into thin matchsticks
2 Thai red chiles
1 lb squid, cleaned, patted very dry, mantles sliced into rings and tentacles separated
2 scallions, sliced diagonally
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsps, Shaoxing wine
salt, pepper

1. Heat a wok until almost smoking. Add peanut oil. Turn down the heat to low-medium. Sauté lemongrass, garlic, ginger, and the Thai chiles.
2. Before the garlic gets brown, turn up the heat back to high, add and flash-fry the squid for 1 minute.
3. Toss in the scallions, sugar, Shaoxing wine, and season with salt and pepper. Keep flash-frying for another minutes until the wine practically disappears.