Ingredients
- Kung Pao Sauce:
- 1/2 cup plum sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon roasted chili garlic sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- Pinch black sesame seeds
- Pinch white sesame seeds
- fresh cilantro, chopped fine
- Calamari:
- 1/2 pound cleaned calamari (fresh or frozen), cut into 1/4-inch-thick rings
- 3 ounces sliced hot pepper rings, drained
- 3 ounces dry roasted peanuts
- 3 chopped scallions
- Lemon wedges, for garnish, optional
- Flour Dredge (or substitute your favorite store-bought fish fry mix):
- corn flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Salt and ground pepper
Preparation
Step 1
For the kung pao sauce: Mix the plum sauce, 1/2 cup water, rice wine vinegar, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, both sesame seeds and the cilantro in a large bowl and set aside.
For the flour dredge: In a separate large bowl, combine the corn flour, baking powder, and some salt and pepper.
For the calamari: Prepare a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F. Drop the drained but still wet calamari into the flour dredge and work it well to ensure an even coating. Do not let it get clumpy. From the dredge carefully drop the flour coated rings into the hot oil. Fry the rings for 1 minute, and add the hot pepper rings to the oil. Let fry until the calamari is golden brown, about 30 seconds longer. Drain the calamari and peppers well.
To plate, drizzle kung pao sauce over calamari and hot peppers. Sprinkle the dry roasted peanuts and scallions over each dish. Garnish with lemon wedges if desired and serve.