Squid with Chillies

Squids are very easy to cook. There are many ways of cooking squids and I love my squids fried with flour. But I can't have them fried all the time, can I? Since squid are generally tasteless, it is good to use chillies, just to spice it up a little bit. One thing I need to point out to you is that, squids tend to soak up the oil and when it does that, believe me, you don't want to eat it. I've had a very bad encounter with squid soaking up margerine when I had a barbecue + steamboat when I was in college. It was really awful. So, do make sure that you do not use too much oil when you cook squids.

• 1 lb squid, cleaned
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 2 teaspoons hot chili powder
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 1 tablespoon szechuan peppercorns, dry-roasted and crushed
• 2 cups vegetable oil
• 4 leaves iceberg lettuce, chilled
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges

Steps:

1. Clean and dry the squid thoroughly.
2. Slice each squid tube horizontally and set aside.
3. Combine both types of flour with the chili powder, sea salt and Szechuan pepper. Then add the squid. Toss it to coat them and thereafter, shake off any excess flour.
4. Add oil and heat up the wok and fry the squid. Remove the squid and place them on a kitchen towel.
5. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter and top with the squid. Serve with the lemon wedges.