CRISP FIVE-SPICE CALAMARI WITH SPICY CITRUS NOODLES

Crisp Five-Spice Calamari with Spicy Citrus Noodles image

Provided by Food Network

Time 25m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 20

Ingredients

8 ounces bean thread noodles (vermicelli)
2 tablespoons peanut or toasted sesame oil
1 to 2 tablespoons Sriracha chili sauce
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
Juice of 1 large pink grapefruit
1 serrano chile, sliced into thin rings
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 heaping tablespoons potato starch
3 large yolks, beaten
3 cups vegetable oil
1 pound fresh squid tubes, cleaned and sliced into rings
Small handful fresh Thai basil stems
Small handful fresh cilantro stems
Small handful fresh mint stems
Lime wedges, for serving

Steps:

For the noodles and dressing: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put the noodles in a large bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover. Let stand for 4 minutes, and then drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, shake well, and transfer to a bowl. Drizzle the oil on top, toss well to coat, and set aside.
Stir together the chili sauce, ginger, honey, sugar, grapefruit juice and lemon juice until well combined. Stir in the chiles and set aside.
For the calamari: Stir together the five-spice powder, salt and white pepper in a small bowl and set aside. Whisk together the potato starch and yolks in a medium bowl. If the batter is too thick to pour from a spoon, add water a few teaspoons at a time until thinned.
Pour the oil into a wok and warm to 350 degrees F over high heat (a cube of bread will turn golden and float to the surface within 10 to 15 seconds when ready). Dip the calamari rings into the batter using a slotted spoon and stir until well coated. Shake off the excess batter and carefully lower into the hot oil. Fry, stirring frequently with a strainer, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer the calamari to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain and sprinkle the spice mix over while hot.
To serve, divide the noodles among 4 shallow bowls. Drizzle two-thirds of the dressing evenly over the noodles, top each with calamari, and then drizzle the remaining dressing on top. Mix together the Thai basil, cilantro and mint stems, divide into 4 bundles and garnish each bowl with 1 herb bundle and lime wedges, for squeezing at the table.