I Found Solace in a Vat of Bubbling Oil

During the height of the pandemic, countless home cooks turned to baking bread. I get it: It’s cozy, comforting, and a delicious way to exert some control during a time things felt totally uncontrollable. Me, though? I found solace not in a sourdough starter, but in a vat of bubbling oil. 

Sometime in January, this Covid-inspired deep-frying kick produced, hands-down, the best dish I cooked since the pandemic started: fried lemongrass squid with crispy kale and basil. It was so shockingly satisfying that I even felt compelled to post it on Instagram, which says a lot because I suck at Instagram. People kept asking for the recipe, and I kept deflecting and dawdling because I hadn’t paid particularly close attention to the seat-of-the-pants cooking process — not uncommon for me — and I guess I was feeling kind of lazy — also not uncommon.