Gok Wan's salt and chilli squid
It’s Chinese New Year on 12 February, and as Gok can’t see his family this year, he’s celebrating with us!
Gok reveals the favourite recipes which are always on his table for the big day and cooking up his delicious salt and chilli squid.
Salt and chilli squid
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1 squid (fresh or frozen)Cornflour, for dusting300ml sunflower oil, for frying⅛ teaspoon five spice powder⅛ teaspoon sugar1 pinch salt1 pinch black pepper1 pinch white pepper2 white onions, sliced 3 garlic cloves, chopped1 red chilli 2 spring onions, sliced
Method
1. Cut the squid in half and score the inside. Then cut into 16 equal size squares. Dust the squid with cornflour and set aside.
2. Add the sunflower oil to a wok or saucepan over medium high heat. When the oil starts bubbling, add the squid.
3. Take out the squid after 5 minutes or when the batter starts turning slightly brown. Remove squid from oil and put it on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
4. Combine five spice powder, salt, sugar, black pepper and white pepper in a bowl. Mix well.
5. Add some oil to a clean wok and fry the onion, garlic, chilli and spring onion. Add the squid and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the spice mix. Stir fry to meld flavours for a couple of minutes, then serve.
6. Reserve any remaining spice mix for another use (we won’t use all the spice mix… this is a great dust for chips! Just saying!)
Fried rice
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Ingredients
1 tbsp groundnut oil2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tbsp ginger, chopped 2 spring onions, trimmed and sliced2–3 eggs150g cooked barbecue chicken, diced into small cubes 150 g cooked small prawns 150g cooked ham, diced into small cubes 300g long-grain rice, cooked and chilled. 100g frozen peas, defrosted Salt and ground white pepper½–1½ tablespoons light soy sauce, to taste
There are just a couple of rules to making fried rice that will guarantee a fabulous result.
1. Use day-old rice that has been cooked and cooled within an hour and then keep in the fridge. The reason for this is simple: rice that has sat overnight in the fridge will have dried out, whereas if you use hot, freshly cooked rice it will turn sticky and need a lot of oil to cook.
2. Don’t use too much oil. This dish has been given a bad reputation over the years because of the word ‘fried’ in its title. But it’s not deep-fried like chips. You only use as much oil as you would need to stir-fry the healthiest vegetable dish. That’s it . . . so simple. Viva La Rice!
Method
1. Heat a wok until medium hot and add a dash of oil
2. Fry the garlic, ginger and spring onions for a few minutes
3. Beat the eggs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper
4. Pour the beaten eggs into the pan. Scramble the eggs, scraping the bits that are sticking to the wok. Aim for well-cooked scrambled egg that is separating into individual pieces.
5. Add the chicken, prawns and ham and heat through
5. Add the rice, scraping the bottom of the pan and tossing the rice as you heat it through really well
6. Once the rice is hot, add the remaining ingredients. Continue to cook over a medium heat, tossing and mixing. Taste and season with pepper and a pinch of salt. Continue to stir-fry for 3–4 minutes, then taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more soy sauce if necessary.
Steamed Scallop Boats
Serves: 2
Prep time: 8-10 mins
Ingredients
6 cleaned scallops with roe attached, shells washed3cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks2 spring onions, trimmed and cut into matchsticksSalt and ground white pepper1 teaspoon sesame oil
For the burning oil sauce
1 fresh red chilli, finely sliced½ a spring onion, finely sliced1–2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped1 tablespoon light soy sauce½–1 tablespoon fish sauce½ teaspoon sesame oil75ml groundnut oil
Method
1. Place each scallop along with its roe into the deeper half of its shell. Divide and sprinkle over the ginger and spring onion (making sure there is an equal mix of green and white parts in each shell), and season with a little pepper and a pinch of salt.
2. Place the scallops in their half shells into a large bamboo steamer and spoon just a few drops of water over each scallop if they are very small. Cover with a lid and steam over a wok of boiling water for 6–7 minutes (depending on size) or until just cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, make the burning oil sauce. Mix together the chilli, spring onion, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil in a heatproof serving bowl. Pour the groundnut oil into a pan and heat until smoking, then very carefully pour over the chilli mix, watching out for hot oil splashes. Once the oil has calmed down, mix everything together.
4. Serve the cooked scallops in their shells, being careful to retain all the liquid. Serve with the burning oil sauce on the side to spoon over, and eat immediately.