Squash flowers are a refreshing food that contains many nutrients. Besides stir-fried dishes, squash flowers are also used to make many hot pot dishes, soup dishes that are delicious, simple, yet incredibly nutritious. Today, let’s go to the kitchen with TasteVN to make 2 dishes right away!
1. Squash flower soup stuffed with snakehead fish
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Preparation time
40 minutes
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Difficulty level
Easy
Ingredients for Squash flower soup stuffed with snakehead fish Serves 4 people
Snakehead fish 100 gr Squash flowers 100 gr Shrimp 50 gr Straw mushrooms 50 gr Minced shallots 5 gr Minced garlic 5 gr Sliced chili 5 gr Tamarind juice 4 tablespoons Chopped cilantro 10 gr Filtered water 500 ml Seasoning powder 1/2 teaspoon Ground pepper 1/2 teaspoon Sugar 1.5 tablespoons Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Cooking oil 1 tablespoon
How to choose fresh, delicious ingredients
How to choose good snakehead fish
You can buy fresh snakehead fish to clean and fillet at home or buy pre-filleted ones as mentioned in the article.
- For fresh snakehead fish: You should choose fish with clear eyes, shiny scales, firm and thick body for easier filleting.
- For pre-filleted snakehead fish: choose the part of the fish that has a bright, pink or light pink color, not dull or pale green, and without any strange fishy smell.
- If you buy pre-packaged fish fillets, remember to check the expiration date.
How to choose good straw mushrooms
- Choose straw mushrooms that are round and still in bud form. Avoid those that have fully opened.
- Straw mushrooms that are black are always tastier than those that are white.
How to prepare Stuffed Bottle Gourd Soup with Snakehead Fish
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Prepare the ingredients
For the bottle gourd flowers, remove the stems, cut into bite-sized pieces, discard the old parts, peel off the outer layer of the stems, and remove the internal pistils to avoid bitterness.
For straw mushrooms, cut off the stems, soak them in water mixed with a little cornstarch for 15 minutes to eliminate the pungent smell, then rinse clean and cut in half.
For the shrimp, remove the heads, peel off the shells, and use a small knife to make a lengthwise cut along the back to extract the shrimp vein. Gently squeeze the body of the shrimp to expose the vein a little, then pull it out by hand. After that, rinse the shrimp with water and let it drain, then use a knife or meat grinder to finely chop.
Tip:
- Do not wash the straw mushrooms too thoroughly, as this will cause them to absorb water and not taste good.
- Soak and rinse the straw mushrooms in water mixed with a little cornstarch, do not soak them in salt water as it will make the mushrooms tough and unappetizing.
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Sautéed Mushrooms
Place a pot on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and wait for it to heat, then add 5 grams of minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.
When the garlic is aromatic, add the prepared straw mushrooms into the pot and sauté on high heat for about 3 minutes until the mushrooms are just cooked.
Tip: It’s best to sauté the straw mushrooms over high heat to prevent the mushrooms from releasing all their sweet juices.
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Cook the Soup
Add 500ml of filtered water, 4 tablespoons of tamarind juice, 1.5 tablespoons of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce into the pot. Stir well and bring the broth to a boil.
Once the broth is boiling, add the stuffed pumpkin blossoms into the pot, cover the lid, and cook for about 4 minutes.
Finally, add a bit of chopped cilantro and sliced chili to the pot, then season to taste to complete the dish.
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Finished product
Stuffed pumpkin flower soup with sweet and sour snakehead fish, fresh and cool, crispy pumpkin flowers combined with chewy, flavorful fish paste is incredibly appealing. So what are you waiting for? Hurry to the kitchen and make this soup for the whole family to enjoy right away!
2. Pumpkin flower soup with shrimp and enoki mushrooms
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Preparation
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Pumpkin flower soup with shrimp and enoki mushrooms Serves 4
Pumpkin flowers 200 gr Fish paste 200 gr Shrimp 300 gr Enoki mushrooms 200 gr Cilantro 10 gr Shallots 1 tablespoon Rock sugar 1 tablespoon Granulated sugar 1 tablespoon Salt 2 teaspoons Pepper 1 teaspoon Seasoning powder 2.5 tablespoons
How to choose fresh, delicious ingredients:
How to choose fresh shrimp
- Choose shrimp that have shiny shells, firm bodies, heads that are tightly attached to the body, legs firmly attached to the body, and firm flesh.
- Avoid buying shrimp that are slimy or have legs that have turned black, as these are signs that they are no longer fresh.
- Do not buy shrimp with spread-out, loose tails, missing tail fins, and not neatly arranged together, as this may indicate that the shrimp have been caught for a long time and soaked in preservatives.
See more: How to choose fresh shrimp and how to preserve fresh shrimp in the refrigerator for a long time
How to choose delicious enoki mushrooms
- You should choose enoki mushrooms that clearly state the expiration date and origin on the packaging.
- In addition, the mushrooms must be fresh, not bruised, and the stems should not be separated or crumbled, especially there should be no appearance of slime.
- Enoki mushrooms, if stored at a temperature of 1 – 5 degrees Celsius, can be used within 45 days. If kept at normal temperature, depending on weather conditions, you can only use enoki mushrooms for 1 – 3 days.
- Mushrooms should be used immediately after purchase, especially, they must be cooked thoroughly to avoid eating undercooked mushrooms.
How to choose delicious raw pork sausage:
- You should choose the raw pork sausage that has a bright white or pink color and no strange smell.
- If choosing packaged products, you should carefully check the expiration date, the outer packaging is intact, not torn or discolored, and the product inside should not have mold, stains, or any unusual leaking fluids.
- Additionally, you can try making raw pork sausage at home to ensure food safety for the whole family.
See more: How to make unbeatable white, smooth, chewy and crispy raw pork sausage safely for the family
How to prepare Squash Flower Soup with Shrimp and Enoki Mushrooms
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Preparation of Ingredients
You should cut off the old stems of the squash flowers, leaving about 5 – 6cm of the stem, and peel off the outer skin. After that, clean the outer sepals and use scissors to cut off the flower stamens.
Soak the enoki mushrooms in diluted salt water for about 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and let them drain, then tear the mushrooms into small pieces.
Tips for cleaning enoki mushrooms:
- Use a knife to cut off the mushroom stems as this part is tough and contains a lot of dirt, making it less tasty.
- You should tear the mushrooms into small pieces before soaking them in salt water to remove all impurities.
Cut off the roots of the cilantro, discard any yellow leaves, and then wash it thoroughly.
Soak the shrimp in salt water for about 15 minutes, then rinse clean, peel off the heads and shells, and use a small knife to make a slit along the back to remove the shrimp vein. Gently squeeze the shrimp body with your hand to pull the vein out a bit, then use your fingers to remove it. After that, rinse the shrimp with water once more and let them drain.
Take 100g of shrimp and use a knife or meat grinder to mince it finely. Keep the remaining shrimp whole.
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Stuff the raw fish paste
Put the raw fish paste into a mortar along with 1.5 tablespoons of seasoning, all the minced shrimp, 1 tablespoon of minced shallots, 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, and 1/3 tablespoon of pepper.
Use a pestle to pound the fish paste evenly to absorb the spices.
Tip: The more thoroughly you pound it, the chewier and tastier the filling will be.
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Stuff the filling
Use a spoon to gently stuff the filling into the pumpkin flowers.
Tip: Stuff gently to avoid breaking the pumpkin flower petals for a more attractive finished product.
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Cooking soup
Place a pot on the stove, add 400ml of filtered water to the pot and bring it to a boil. When the water starts boiling, add 1 tablespoon of rock sugar, the whole shrimp, and the stuffed pumpkin flowers into the pot and cook until the broth comes back to a boil.
Tip: You need to gently peel the pumpkin flowers so that the filling doesn’t fall out.
Next, add the enoki mushrooms into the pot, stir gently for about 1 minute, then lower the heat. After that, season the soup with 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, stir well, and turn off the heat.
Serve the pumpkin flower soup with shrimp and enoki mushrooms in a bowl, add a little coriander on top, and decorate it nicely to finish.
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Final product
The pumpkin flower soup with shrimp and enoki mushrooms, once completed, has an appealing and attractive color. The shrimp and mushrooms are crunchy, and the savory filling combined with the sweet and crispy pumpkin flowers makes the family meal more enticing and flavorful.
How to choose delicious pumpkin flowers
- You should choose large, firm, fresh male pumpkin flowers that are a deep yellow color.
- The pumpkin flowers should still be in bud, not fully opened. Pay attention to the bud; it should be large, and the stem should be dark green for better taste.
Tip for quickly removing the black string on shrimp
- Count back from the shrimp’s tail to the second groove connecting two segments of the shrimp shell, insert a toothpick through this spot, and gently pull the black string to remove it.
- You can also use a toothpick to pry open the head of the shrimp without cutting it with a knife to find the black string. Gently pull this string out with your hand, and the shrimp will be clean.
Tips for successful execution:
- During cooking, you should frequently skim the foam to keep the broth clear and visually appealing.
- Add the pumpkin flowers last and cook until the water boils again, then turn off the heat to maintain the green color and crispness of the pumpkin flowers.
See more
Above are 2 delicious and attractive ways to cook flower gourd soup with snakehead fish and shrimp. What are you waiting for? Make this dish for the whole family right away, wishing you success!
*Refer to images and recipes from 2 YouTube channels TasteShare and Knorr Viet Nam
