Salt & Pepper Squid with Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce

Who doesn't love fried squid? I make mine using cornflour and nothing else (no water or egg) as it makes for a light, non greasy and extra crunchy coating. Season it with salt and pepper first to make each bite one to remember. Served with sweet chilli dipping sauce, it's a match made in heaven.

INGREDIENTS (serves two people as a starter)

• Five baby squid, gutted and cleaned
• One heaped tablespoon of cornflour
• A teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• A teaspoon of sea salt
• Sunflower oil for frying
• Thai sweet chilli sauce (I use good quality bottled one if I don't have time to make my own, like in this case) for serving

Slice the squid in one cm thick rings, then rinse them and pat them dry (use some kitchen paper to absorb as much water as possible). Season the cornflour with the salt and pepper, then toss the squid rings in the mix until they are completely coated: add a little more cornflour if necessary.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan and deep fry the squid rings for about two/three minutes each side, until golden, hard and crunchy. Fish them out of the hot oil with a slotted spoon and drain them on kitchen paper. Serve them immediately, while nice and hot, on a bed of leaves (I used garlic sprouts) and with the chill dipping sauce on the side.