Squash flowers are a delicious and easy-to-grow food that is also very nutritious. Now, squash flowers can also be combined with both shrimp and beef to create an incredibly appealing stir-fry dish. Let’s head to the kitchen and make this simple shrimp and beef stir-fried squash flower dish!
1. Shrimp Stir-Fried Squash Flowers
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Preparation time
40 minutes
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Difficulty level
Easy
Ingredients for Shrimp Stir-Fried Squash Flowers Serves 4 people
Squash flowers 300 gr Shrimp 200 gr Minced garlic 10 gr Seasoning A little (seasoning powder/salt/pepper) Cooking oil 1 tablespoon
How to Choose Good Ingredients
How to Choose Fresh Shrimp
- Choose shrimp with shiny shells, firm bodies, heads that are tightly attached to the body, legs firmly attached to the body, and firm meat.
- Avoid purchasing slimy shrimp or shrimp with legs that have turned black, as this is a sign that they are no longer fresh.
- Do not buy shrimp with spread-out, loose tails, missing tail fins, and not neatly arranged together, as they may have been caught a long time ago and soaked in preservatives.
See more: How to choose fresh shrimp and how to store fresh shrimp in the refrigerator for the longest time
How to prepare Squash Blossoms Stir-fried with Shrimp
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Prepare the shrimp
Remove the shrimp heads, peel the shells, then use a small knife to make a slit along the back to remove the shrimp vein. Gently squeeze the body of the shrimp to make the vein protrude a little and then pull it out with your fingers. After that, wash the shrimp with water and let it drain.
Tip for quickly removing the black vein on the back of the shrimp
- You count backward from the tail of the shrimp to the second groove connecting the two segments of the shrimp shell, insert a toothpick through this position and gently pull the black vein to remove it.
- You do not need to cut the back of the shrimp with a knife; you can also use a toothpick to scoop out the head part of the shrimp body to reveal the black vein. Gently pull this black thread out, and the shrimp will be clean.
Marinate the shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning and a little ground pepper. Mix well and marinate for about 30 minutes for the shrimp to absorb the seasoning evenly.
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Prepare other ingredients
Cut off the old stems of the pumpkin flowers, leaving about 5 – 6cm of stem, and peel the outer skin. Then, clean the outer sepals and use scissors to cut off the flower’s stamen.
The next step is to soak the pumpkin flowers in diluted salt water for about 10 minutes to remove dirt. Take them out and let them drain.
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Blanch the pumpkin flowers
Place a pot on the stove, add 1.5 liters of water and 1 teaspoon of salt, and bring to a boil.
When the water starts to boil, add all the prepared pumpkin flowers to the pot. Blanch the pumpkin flowers for about 1 minute, then take them out and immediately place them in a bowl of cold water, soaking for about 10 minutes, then remove and let them drain.
Tip for blanching pumpkin flowers to keep them crispy and retain their green color:
- To keep the pumpkin flowers green after blanching, you should add a bit of salt to the water used for boiling.
- After boiling, the pumpkin flowers should be placed immediately in cold water; this helps keep the flowers crispy and maintains their beautiful green color.
- Additionally, wait for the water to boil before adding the pumpkin flowers, and do not blanch them for too long, as this will make them very soft, mushy, and lose their nutrients.
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Stir-fry zucchini flowers with shrimp
Place a pan on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add 10g of minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.
Next, add the shrimp and stir-fry quickly for about 2 minutes on high heat to firm up the shrimp.
Finally, add the zucchini flowers and stir evenly over high heat. Season the pan with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and mix well. Stir-fry for another 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and transfer to a plate.
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Final Product
Stir-fried zucchini flowers with shrimp, once completed, have an attractive and eye-catching color. The shrimp meat is chewy and rich, combined with the crispy and sweet zucchini flowers, making the family’s meal more appealing and well-rounded. You can serve it with hot rice and a bit of garlic chili sauce, the flavor will be enhanced many times over.
2. Stir-fried Zucchini Flowers with Beef
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Difficulty Level
Easy
Ingredients for Stir-fried Zucchini Flowers with Beef For 3 people
Zucchini flowers 300 gr Beef 300 gr Minced garlic 25 gr Seasoning A little (sugar/ salt/ seasoning powder/ pepper) Soy sauce 1 tablespoon Cooking oil 4 tablespoons
How to Choose Good Beef
- To choose good beef, you should observe the color of the meat. Fresh and good meat usually has a bright red color, not dark red, and the beef fat is light yellow.
- It is advisable to choose small and tender pieces of meat, with fine fibers, and when you press on it, it should have good elasticity.
- If you see small white flecks on the meat that are easily detached, they may indicate parasites. You should also limit the purchase of small pre-cut meat pieces, as they often contain parasites.
How to cook Pumpkin Flowers with Beef
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Prepare the ingredients
The beef you buy should be washed with diluted salt water, then rinsed thoroughly with clean water. Use paper towels or a clean cloth to dry any remaining water on the beef, then cut it into thin slices that are easy to eat.
Tips for making beef tender, not chewy
- The way to slice beef is to cut it thinly and across the grain. Cutting beef correctly will help you cook the dish faster and make the meat less chewy.
- If possible, simply place the beef in the refrigerator for 20 – 30 minutes, which helps the meat firm up and makes it easier to cut.
- You can also marinate the beef with a little cooking oil; this will make the beef more tender and not chewy.
- A very important note is not to prepare or wash the beef too thoroughly, as doing so will cause some nutrients in the beef to dissolve in water and be lost during cooking.
For the pumpkin flowers, you should remove the stems, cut them into 3 – 4 cm pieces, discard the old parts, and peel off the outer fibers of the stems. Remove the flowers and take out the inner stamens to avoid bitterness.
Then blanch them briefly in boiling salted water for 1 minute, and then place them in cold water for about 2 minutes to keep the pumpkin flowers crunchy.
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Marinate the beef
Marinate the beef with 1 teaspoon of seasoning, 1/3 teaspoon of pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 10g of minced garlic, mix well and marinate for about 15 – 20 minutes for the beef to absorb the seasoning.
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Stir-fry the beef and pumpkin blossoms
Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, when the oil is hot, add 15g of minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, then add the marinated beef and stir-fry on high heat until the beef is about 75% cooked, then transfer the beef to a plate.
Add another 2 tablespoons of cooking oil to the pan, when the oil is hot, add the pumpkin blossoms and stir-fry on high heat for about 3 – 5 minutes until the pumpkin blossoms are cooked, then add the beef back in and stir-fry together for another 3 minutes before turning off the heat. Serve the dish on a plate.
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Finished Product
The dish of zucchini flowers stir-fried with beef is incredibly simple and easy to make, with tender beef that is flavorful and just right, crispy and delicious zucchini flowers, served with hot rice for the whole family is unbeatable!
How to Choose Delicious Zucchini Flowers:
- You should choose large, firm, fresh male zucchini flowers with a deep yellow color.
- The zucchini flowers should still be in bud, not fully opened. Pay attention to the size of the flower bud; it should be large, and the stem should be dark green for the best taste.
Tips for Successful Preparation:
- Be sure to stir-fry the zucchini flowers last.
- Stir-fry the zucchini flowers over high heat for about 2 – 3 minutes, then turn off the heat. If you stir-fry for too long, the zucchini flowers will release water, lose all their nutrients, and become mushy and unappetizing.
See more
- 2 methods of making stir-fried bulbous root with beef and stir-fried bulbous root with eggs, delicious and nutritious
- 2 methods of making stir-fried gourd with eggs and stir-fried shrimp, simple and tasty for the family
- How to make beef tendon stir-fried with lemongrass and chili, crispy and simple, highly addictive
The nutritious dish stir-fried zucchini flowers with shrimp and beef will make your meal more delicious while providing energy for a whole day of work. Wishing you success from your first attempt!
*Refer to images and recipes from: the YouTube channel FAMILY HEALTH CARE and PiTi Family
