Squid is a favorite seafood for many families in their meals. Therefore, today TasteVN will introduce you to 2 ways to make stir-fried squid with sweet and sour mixed vegetables that are delicious and easy to make at home. Let’s get cooking and show off your skills with this stir-fried dish right away!
1. Stir-fried squid with fragrant carrots
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Stir-fried squid with fragrant carrots Serves 3 people
Squid 500 gr (or any type of squid you like) Broccoli 150 gr (1 head) Carrot 1 piece Cucumber 1 piece Pineapple 1/4 piece Celery 100 gr Chopped shallots 2 teaspoons Minced garlic 2 teaspoons Fish sauce 1 teaspoon Cooking oil 4 tablespoons Sugar/ Ground pepper a little Oyster sauce 1 teaspoon
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh green broccoli
- You should choose broccoli that has a dark green or purple color, especially the darker it is, the tastier it will be. Additionally, the flowers should be compact, and the leaves should not be wilted.
- The stalk should be firm, not too soft, and still attached to the stem. When held, it should feel sturdy; if it feels too light, it shouldn’t be chosen.
- The surface of the broccoli should be dense, without any flowers falling off or having many gaps.
- Avoid choosing broccoli that has turned yellow as older broccoli is not tasty.
See more: 6 wonderful uses of broccoli
How to choose fresh carrots
- Good carrots have a deep orange color, bright and smooth skin, without bumps or tiny spots, and the tops should still be green and tightly attached to the body.
- You should choose carrots that are of moderate size, elongated shape, and feel firm when held.
- Avoid choosing carrots with bruised tops, slimy stems, or dark spots; if they feel soft when pressed, it indicates that they have been stored for too long and may affect health.
- Avoid choosing overly large carrots as they are old, fibrous, and have very few nutrients.
See details: All about how to choose carrots properly
How to make Stir-fried Squid with Mixed Vegetables and Carrots
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Prepare and marinate the squid
When buying squid, use your hands to firmly pull the head away from the body. Remove the beak, eyes, and any remaining ink sac from the head, and discard the backbone from the body. Then rinse everything thoroughly and let it drain.
Ways to clean squid and eliminate fishy smell:
- Method 1: Quickly blanch the squid for 2 – 3 minutes in boiled water with dry tea.
- Method 2: Soak the squid in a diluted vinegar mixture for 3 – 5 minutes.
- Method 3: Lemon is also an essential ingredient for eliminating odors; just rinse the squid with the juice of 2 – 3 lemons.
- Method 4: Additionally, sesame oil is trusted by many people; just marinate a few drops of sesame oil, and the smell will disappear immediately.
Finally, marinate the squid with 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1 teaspoon of shallots, and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, mixing well to absorb the seasoning for 20 minutes.
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Prepare other ingredients
Peel and wash the carrots, then cut them into rounds. Remove the ends of the cucumber, wash, and cut into pieces.
Remove the stem and leaves from the broccoli, wash thoroughly, and cut into bite-sized florets.
Peel the pineapple, remove the eyes and core, and cut into small pieces.
Remove the roots from the celery, wash, and cut into pieces.
Tip:
- To prevent the finished dish from becoming watery, remove some of the cucumber’s seeds.
- Broccoli can easily lose its florets when washed, so handle it gently.
- To quickly peel the pineapple, first remove the skin, then stand the pineapple upright, locate the eyes diagonally, and use a knife to remove the eyes until finished.
- Another simple peeling method is to peel it standing up. Similar to the above method, but locate the eyes vertically and cut them out until finished.
See more: 5 simple ways to peel pineapple quickly and easily
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Stir-frying the ingredients with squid
Using the same pan that you stir-fried the squid in, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, and sauté the remaining minced garlic and onion until fragrant over high heat.
Then add carrots, pineapple, broccoli, and cucumber, stirring for 5 minutes, then season with 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce and stir-fry for another minute.
Finally, add the squid back in, stir well, and adjust the seasoning to taste before turning off the heat.
Tip: Vegetables cook very quickly, so to retain their sweetness, do not stir-fry for too long.
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Final Product
This is a delicious stir-fried squid dish that can be innovatively changed to enrich family meals. You can feel the squid is tender and sweet, not too chewy, while the combination of vegetables gives the dish a full, irresistible flavor.
This mixed stir-fried squid dish tastes even better when paired with a bowl of hot steamed rice dipped in soy sauce; nothing can compare. Now let’s enjoy your final product!
2. Stir-fried mixed squid with fragrant tomato
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Stir-fried mixed squid with fragrant tomato For 2 – 3 people
Squid 500 gr Pineapple 1/2 piece Tomato 1 piece Cucumber 1 piece Onion 1 bulb Celery 5 stalks Cooking oil 3 tablespoons Common spices a little (salt/ monosodium glutamate/ seasoning mix)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh tomatoes
- Choose tomatoes that are bright red, round, juicy, with a smooth skin, and no scratches.
- The stem of the tomato should still be fresh, not wilted, and firmly attached to the body, indicating that it has just been harvested.
- Naturally ripened tomatoes will have a light fragrant smell, while artificially ripened tomatoes will have no smell.
- Avoid buying tomatoes that are uneven in color, soft and mushy, with wrinkled skin, or showing bruises.
How to choose fresh onions
- Choose onions with shiny outer skin, not bruised or scratched.
- Prefer those with fresh roots, not wilted or dried out.
- Onions should feel heavy and firm in hand, without any soft or hard spots.
- Limit purchasing sprouted onions as these tend to be less tasty and have fewer nutrients.
How to cook Stir-fried Squid with Tomato and Mixed Vegetables
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Prepare the ingredients
Buy squid, remove the internal organs, wash clean, cut the squid tentacles into small pieces, and slice the squid body into bite-sized pieces.
Peel the onion, remove the stem from the tomato, wash clean, and cut both ingredients into wedge shapes.
Wash the cucumber clean, cut into thin slices. Peel the pineapple, remove the eyes, wash clean, and slice thinly about 1/2 finger length. Wash the celery clean and chop finely.
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Cook the stir-fried squid with tomato and mixed vegetables
Place a pan on the stove with 3 tablespoons of cooking oil and heat on high. When the oil is hot, add the squid and stir-fry quickly for about 3 minutes, then transfer to a bowl.
Next, add the cucumber to the pan where you just stir-fried the squid, stir well for about 3 minutes, then add the pineapple, tomato, and onion, and stir evenly.
Add 4 tablespoons of water to the pan, stir-fry for about 5 minutes until the water reduces and the vegetables are cooked evenly.
Then add the stir-fried squid and season with: 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 2 teaspoons of seasoning powder, 2 teaspoons of salt, and stir-fry for about 5 minutes to let the ingredients absorb the spices.
Taste the seasoning and adjust to your liking, then add the chopped celery and stir for about 30 seconds before turning off the heat.
Plate the dish, and you can sprinkle a little ground pepper on top for added aroma.
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Final Product
Thus, the dish of stir-fried mixed squid with fragrant tomatoes has been completed very quickly. The squid is tender and sweet to taste, with colorful vegetables in green, red, and yellow, making the dish light yet highly nutritious.
When eaten with white rice, you will feel the natural sweetness of the squid seasoned just right, blending with the naturally sweet and sour flavor of pineapple, tomatoes, and the distinctive aroma of celery that is irresistible.
How to choose fresh and delicious ingredients
How to choose fresh squid
- For this dish, you can use any type of squid you like such as: tube squid, cuttlefish, or leaf squid,…
- Fresh squid will have shiny, sparkling eyes that are clear, with the pupil visible, not cloudy or bulging, and not leaking sticky fluid.
- When you touch it, you should feel that the squid is firm and has good elasticity. After pressing, the squid retains its original shape and does not dent in.
- The squid’s tentacles are still firmly attached to the body, not separated. If they are soft, mushy, or detached, it means the squid has been caught for a long time and is no longer fresh.
How to choose fresh pineapple
- Fresh pineapple should have a bright yellow color, sometimes with spots of green.
- Choose those that are slightly round and short because they will have more flesh than the long ones.
- It’s better to choose pineapples with larger eyes as they are ripe and naturally sweet.
- If the pineapple is ripe, it will be moderately soft to the touch, and the skin will be slightly wrinkled.
How to choose fresh cucumbers
- Choose cucumbers that are bright green, evenly colored, smooth, not rough or with tiny bumps.
- It’s best to choose straight cucumbers with minimal bends. In particular, short and round cucumbers will have denser flesh, sweeter, and crunchier than long ones.
- Picking up a cucumber should feel heavy and firm, and it should feel soft to the touch, not too hard.
- Avoid buying cucumbers that are swollen or have dark spots, bruises, or yellowing as they have been stored for too long and will not taste good.
How to choose fresh and delicious celery
- Choose celery with bright green color, tender stalks that are easy to break, thick leaves, and evenly round stalks.
- Avoid buying celery with unusually large, pure white stalks, as this indicates the presence of harmful pesticides.
- Also, do not buy celery that has turned yellow, has soft stalks, wilted leaves, is bruised, or has a foul smell.
See more:
The above article has provided you with 2 ways to make mixed squid stir-fry with rich flavors that will make your family meals more interesting and appealing. Wishing you great success and warm moments while enjoying!
*Source for the recipe and images shared from Facebook: Huỳnh Ngân and Hòa Oggy.
