Preparation / Directions:
In traditional Chinese cooking, dishes which are part of a banquet- style meal usually contain about 1 pound of food. This dish will serve 4 if there are 3 other dishes besides soup; 6 if there are 6 other dishes, etc.
Sauté garlic and chile peppers in half the oil over low heat in a wok or heavy frying pan until garlic is lightly browned. Add peanuts for the last 30 seconds. Stir continuously.
Remove ingredients from the pan, add more oil, if necessary, and the squid. Cook for 30 seconds. Return peanuts, garlic and chiles to pan. Immediately add all but 1 Tablespoon of the stock, soy sauce and cilantro.
Continue stir-frying for another minute. Add cornstarch mixture. When sauce thickens, remove from heat and serve.
[Score squid diagonally at three quarter inch intervals. Turn and repeat at right angles to original cuts. Don't cut all the way through the squid body. Cut each scored squid body into three or four pieces.
When cooked, the squid will roll up and the crosshatching will catch and hold the sauce. It's much easier to do than to describe.
From "The International Squid Cookbook" by Isaac Cronin, Aris Boo
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