Quick-Fried Cuttlefish Rolls

Name: Quick-Fried Cuttlefish Rolls
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 300 g cleaned cuttlefish (scored with cross-hatch pattern and cut into 5 cm long x 2.5 cm wide rectangular pieces); 500 g lard (75 g actually consumed); 50 g wet cornstarch (30 g for coating, 20 g for the sauce); 2.5 g fine salt (1.5 g for coating, 1 g for the sauce); 2.5 g monosodium glutamate; 2.5 g Shaoxing wine; 1 small dish shrimp oil (condiment); 50 g clear broth (for the sauce); 5 g garlic cloves (crushed into a paste)

A traditional famous dish from Zhejiang province, made by flash-frying cleaned cuttlefish scored with decorative flower cuts. The cuttlefish curls into wheat-ear-like shapes as it cooks, and the finished dish has a rich, fragrant garlic aroma.

20 min

Easy

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Ingredients

cleaned cuttlefish (scored with cross-hatch pattern and cut into 5 cm long x 2.5 cm wide rectangular pieces) 300 g

lard (75 g actually consumed) 500 g

wet cornstarch (30 g for coating, 20 g for the sauce) 50 g

fine salt (1.5 g for coating, 1 g for the sauce) 2.5 g

monosodium glutamate 2.5 g

Shaoxing wine 2.5 g

shrimp oil (condiment) 1 small dish

clear broth (for the sauce) 50 g

garlic cloves (crushed into a paste) 5 g

Instructions

Cutting the Cuttlefish

Place the cleaned cuttlefish on a cutting board and gently trim the edges with a knife. Working from the inner side of the cuttlefish, first score with reverse diagonal cuts, then turn the cuttlefish to make straight cuts, spacing the knife marks about 0.5 cm apart and cutting to a depth of 3/4 of the meat's thickness. Cut into rectangular pieces 5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide.

Coating

Place the cuttlefish in a bowl, add 1.5 g fine salt, then add 30 g wet cornstarch to coat and mix well.

Preparing the Sauce

Crush the garlic cloves into a paste. Place in a bowl, add the Shaoxing wine, monosodium glutamate, 1 g salt, and 20 g wet cornstarch to make the sauce; set aside.

Slip-Frying

Place a wok over the heat until warmed, add the lard and heat to about 60% hot (approximately 132 degrees C). Add the cuttlefish and use chopsticks to separate the pieces for about 10 seconds, then pour into a strainer to drain off the oil.

Finishing with Sauce

Return the cuttlefish to the original wok. Immediately pour the clear broth into the sauce bowl, stir to combine, and pour the mixture into the wok. Toss a few times, drizzle in 10 g lard, then transfer to a serving plate. Serve at the table with a small dish of shrimp oil on the side.