How to Make Delicious and Unique Steamed Squid with Guava Leaves

Steamed squid with guava leaves is a delicious dish that helps purify the body and support digestion thanks to the natural essential oils in guava leaves. In the article below, Ola Squid will guide you on how to make steamed squid with guava leaves quickly at home while still ensuring an appealing flavor, let’s follow along!

Preparing ingredients for steamed squid with guava leaves

For the steamed squid with guava leaves to retain its natural sweetness and harmonious aroma, you should choose fresh and delicious ingredients from the very beginning.

Ingredients for steamed squid with guava leaves

The recipe below is suitable for about 3 – 4 people:

How to choose fresh and delicious squid

Fresh squid will largely determine the crispness, sweetness, and aroma of the steamed dish. When purchasing, you should prioritize those with the following characteristics:

• Shiny squid skin: The skin surface retains a natural gloss, bright color, and is not dull.
• Clear squid eyes: Eyes are crystal clear with visible black pupils, not cloudy or showing signs of dryness.
• Firm squid body: When pressing lightly on the body, the flesh feels firm and elastic, not mushy.
• Tightly attached tentacles: The tentacles are firmly attached to the head, not easily falling off or slimy.

See more: How to choose fresh squid that not everyone knows

How to choose standard aromatic guava leaves

Guava leaves are the ingredient that creates the characteristic aroma for the steamed squid dish, so you should choose leaves with freshness and a natural scent. When choosing, you should prioritize:

• Leaves of moderate maturity: Choose leaves that are neither too old nor too young so they still retain their fragrance when steamed.
• Fresh green color: Leaves have an even green color, intact surface, without insect damage, yellowing, or bruising.

Detailed steps for steaming squid with guava leaves

To make the squid cooked just right, retain its crisp sweetness, and absorb the scent of guava leaves, you can follow these 4 steps sequentially:

Step 1 – Preparing ingredients

You pull out the squid head, remove the internal organs and backbone, then wash it clean. Afterward, you lightly score a few lines on the squid back so that the spices can be absorbed more easily.

Guava leaves, lemongrass, ginger, shallots, and chili are also washed; lemongrass is crushed, ginger and shallots are sliced, and chili is chopped.

Step 2 – Marinating the squid

You put the squid into a bowl, add the prepared spices, and mix gently so that the spices coat evenly. Marinate the squid for about 10-15 minutes, avoid adding too much salt to prevent the squid from becoming salty and losing its natural sweetness.

Step 3 – Arranging guava leaves

You arrange a layer of washed guava leaves at the bottom of the steamer basket, place the squid on top, and cover with another layer of guava leaves. You can intersperse lemongrass, ginger, and shallots so that the aroma spreads evenly during the steaming process.

Step 4 – Steaming the squid

You boil water until it bubbles, then place the squid steamer on top and steam for about 5-7 minutes, depending on the quantity and size of the squid. When the squid is cooked, its body will turn from transparent to opaque white or light pink, the flesh becomes firm and is no longer mushy. You should turn off the heat as soon as the squid is just cooked to avoid steaming for too long which makes the squid flesh tough.

Delicious dishes you may be interested in:

• 5 ways to steam delicious, crispy, non-fishy, and non-tough squid at home
• Guide on how to make irresistibly fragrant coconut water steamed squid
• Revealing how to make irresistibly delicious sweet and sour Thai steamed squid
• How to make super delicious betel leaf steamed squid with authentic hometown flavor
• Top 3 simple ways to make ginger steamed squid that everyone loves

Tips for delicious, non-fishy, and non-tough steamed squid with guava leaves

For the steamed squid with guava leaves to retain its crisp sweetness, delicious flavor, and avoid being fishy, you should note the following points:

• Steam until just cooked: Do not steam the squid for too long because prolonged high temperature will cause the squid flesh to shrink, becoming tough and hard. At the same time, you should only marinate a moderate amount of spices to retain the natural sweetness of the squid.
• Let the squid dry thoroughly: After preparation, you should let the squid drain completely before marinating and steaming. Squid with too much water left can make the steamed dish bland and affect the firmness of the flesh.
• Remove fishy odor properly: If the squid still has a fishy smell, you can add a few slices of ginger or use a little white wine during preparation to reduce the fishy odor.
• Cut squid into bite-sized pieces: You can keep it whole or cut it into moderate pieces. Do not cut the squid too small because the flesh easily falls apart and loses its crispness after steaming.
• Choose the suitable dipping sauce: Sweet and sour fish sauce or lime salt and pepper are both suitable choices, helping the squid flavor become richer while still keeping the characteristic aroma of guava leaves.

Above is how to make steamed squid with guava leaves that is delicious, novel, along with tips to help the squid retain its natural crisp sweetness. If you want to change your palate with other squid dishes, you can refer to selected dried squid at Ola Squid for convenient preparation and enjoyment right at home.