2020-07-01RedUK

105

July 2020 | REDONLINE.CO.UK

LIVING

PREPARATION TIME 25 minutes

COOKING TIME 15 min u t e s

SERVES 4 as a starter

O1 cauliflower, cut into small florets

OSmall handful Thai basil leaves

O6 spring onions, thinly sliced

O2 red chillies, thinly sliced

O4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

OGroundnut oil, for deep-frying

OLime wedges, to serve

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE

O100ml Chinkiang black vinegar*

O80ml light soy sauce

O1 red chilli, finely chopped

OSmall thumb ginger, finely grated

O2tsp toasted sesame oil

O1tsp caster sugar

O1tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

FOR THE BATTER

O2tsp each black and Sichuan

peppercorns

O200g plain flour

O4tbsp cornflour

OAbout 300ml ice-cold

sparkling water

1 To make dipping sauce, simply

whisk together all the ingredients.

2 For batter, heat a dry frying pan over

medium heat and toast peppercorns

until they are aromatic. Tip into a pestle

and mortar, along with 2tsp sea salt;

crush to a coarse powder. Empty into

a mixing bowl, add both flours and

mix well. Whisk in the sparkling water,

adding just enough to make a batter

with a double cream consistency,

being careful not to overbeat.

3 Fill a large, heavy-based saucepan a

third full with deep-frying oil. Heat oil to

180°C – if you don’t have a thermometer,

oil is ready when a cube of bread turns

golden brown in 20sec. Dip pieces of

cauliflower into batter, one at a time,

letting excess drip off, and deep-fry until

golden. Remove with a slotted spoon

and drain on kitchen paper. Dip basil

leaves in batter and fry in same way.

4 When you’ve finished frying the

cauliflower and basil leaves, carefully

pour out most of the oil from the pan,

leaving just a few tablespoons. Put over

medium-high heat and flash-fry spring

onions, chillies and garlic for a minute

or so, until garlic is beginning to colour.

Drain on kitchen paper, scatter over

cauliflower and toss. Serve immediately

with lime wedges and dipping sauce.

Cauliflower popcorn with black

vinegar dipping sauce

This crisp, battered manifestation of the humble cauliflower is based on one of the dishes

I can never resist when I go to a Chinese restaurant: salt and pepper squid.

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