Salt & pepper squid with roast chilli dressing

Ingredients

• 500 g squid rings cleaned ( weight)
• 2 tsp peppercorns cracked white
• 4 tsp sea salt 
• 100 g flour plain
• 6 servings vegetable oil for frying
• 1  chilies dried deseeded
• 1 tbsp g muscovado sugar light
• 1  juice of lime 
• 50 ml fish sauce 

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• frying pan
• baking sheet
• oven
• wok
• mortar and pestle
• slotted spoon

Directions

1. Cut the squid into large pieces, then score a criss-cross diamond pattern into the flesh, without cutting all the way through. To make the chilli dressing, pound the roasted dried chilli in a mortar and pestle (or food processor), then add the palm sugar. Pound again, adding the lime juice and the fish sauce.
2. Mix well and place to one side.
3. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and slide a baking sheet in.
4. Pound the peppercorns and sea salt together, then stir into the flour in a large bowl and set to one side.
5. Heat a few cms oil in a wok or deep frying pan.
6. Place the wok over a high heat; when the oil starts to shimmer, it is ready. Toss the squid in the seasoned flour so that it is coated well.
7. Drop a quarter of the squid into the oil and fry for about 1 min. The squid should curl and go crisp. Lift out of the oil with a slotted spoon and keep warm in the oven on the baking sheet while you cook the rest.
8. Serve straight away, with the dressing on the side.