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Explore the vibrant art of crafting visually enticing sweet and sour squid - a daily delight loved by the whole family
1. Ingredients for sweet and sour squid
Ingredients for preparing sweet and sour squid for 4 people include:
- 400g fresh squid
- Bell peppers: 2 pieces (green, red, or yellow)
- Tomatoes: 2 pieces
- Onions, garlic: 1 bulb
- Spring onions, celery, leeks: 150g (50g each)
- Seasonings: pepper, salt, seasoning powder, sugar, fish sauce, etc.
- Utensils: Large deep pan
Ingredients for preparing delicious non-greasy sweet and sour squid
2. How to make tasty homemade sweet and sour squid
Step 1: Prepare the squid
- Firstly, firmly grasp the squid's tentacles and gently pull to separate the body and tentacles. Use just enough force to avoid bursting the ink sac.
- Next, pull out the backbone from the squid's body. Remove the skin for a whiter ink.
- Remove the innards from the squid's head, split the head open with a knife, discard the eyes, and rinse thoroughly.
Prepare fresh and tender squid for a delightful sweet and sour squid stir-fry
- Slice the squid into bite-sized pieces. You can cut it into circular rings, leave a slit on each ring so that when cooked, the squid takes on a beautiful flower shape, or cut diagonally to create crosshatch patterns.
Prep the squid and cut it into mouth-watering bite-sized pieces
Tip to eliminate fishy smell and prevent squid from releasing excess water while stir-frying
- Rinse the squid thoroughly with clean water, then marinate it with ginger, wine, or a mixture of lime and vinegar to eliminate the fishy smell.
- Pre-coat the squid for firmness, then soak it in cold water before stir-frying to achieve a crispy texture, reduce water release, and save cooking time.
Step 2: Prepare other ingredients
- After peeling the pineapple, remove the eyes, divide the pineapple into 4 sections, discard the core, and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
- Wash the tomatoes and core the persimmon. Prepare clean chive blossoms and celery, cut into 3 cm long pieces.
Prepare other ingredients for sweet and sour squid stir-fry
- Remove the stem and seeds from the bell pepper, wash thoroughly, and cut into bite-sized strips.
- Peel the onion, cut it into cau fruit-shaped wedges.
Slice bell peppers and onions for an appealing presentation
- Peel the garlic, finely chop or put it in a grinder and blend until smooth.
Step 3: Proceed with the sweet and sour squid stir-fry.
- Marinate the squid with ½ portion of finely chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, ½ teaspoon MSG, 1 teaspoon cooking oil in a large bowl, mix well and marinate for about 25-30 minutes.
Enhance the flavor of the sweet and sour squid with a rich spice marinade
- Add 2 teaspoons of cooking oil to the pan, spread it evenly. When the oil is hot, add 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic and sauté until fragrant.
Saute the garlic until evenly golden
- Add the cored persimmon tomatoes to the pan and stir-fry for about 1 minute over low heat to avoid burning.
Evenly turn the tomatoes under low heat to soften without burning
- Then, turn the heat up and stir-fry the bell peppers for about 2 minutes, followed by adding pineapple and onions one by one.
Add bell peppers, pineapple, and onions one by one
- Once the ingredients are cooked, add the marinated squid to the pan, quickly stir to let the spices and ingredients blend. After about 3 minutes, add a bit of spring onions and garlic chives, stir well, and turn off the heat.
- Finally, add a sprinkle of black pepper to make the sweet and sour squid even more enticing.
Complete the sweet and sour squid dish
3. Finished sweet and sour squid
Each piece of tender, crispy white squid, bursting with rich flavor without being tough or fishy, combined perfectly with pineapple, green and red peppers, infused with the aromatic essence of garlic, pepper, and celery. Your home-cooked rice will be even more delicious with a plate of fragrant sweet and sour squid using the Team PasGo recipe on the table.
Finished product of the sweet and sour squid cooking method - a daily favorite made from squid
4. Secrets to achieving crispy and non-watery sweet and sour squid.
In addition to the small tips on how to prepare squid without it being tough or watery from PasGo above, you should also take note of some secrets to making delicious sweet and sour squid below:
- Stir-fry the squid until just cooked, avoid overcooking.
- Stir-fry over high heat and flip quickly to firm up the squid and prevent excessive water release.
So, in just about 30 minutes of preparation and cooking, you have a sweet and sour squid dish that not only tastes delicious but is also rich in nutrients. In addition to the sweet and sour squid recipe introduced by PasGo, you can explore other variations such as mixed stir-fried squid, garlic chive squid stir-fry, sweet and sour shrimp with squid, sweet and sour dried squid, sun-dried sweet and sour squid, tube squid stir-fry with sweet and sour sauce, ... to diversify your family's daily menu. Don't hesitate to share this sweet and sour squid stir-fry method with those around you.
If you're a busy person with limited time to cook but love this sweet and sour squid dish, check out these delicious seafood places!
Recommended addresses for delicious and affordable seafood, most loved in Hanoi, see HERE.
Thuy Trang & Ngoc Hoa from the PasGo Team
