How to Make Crispy and Delicious Stir-Fried Squid with Chinese Chives Flowers

Stir-fried squid with chive flowers is an attractive dish with crispy, sweet squid combined with fresh green chive flowers, gently fragrant and featuring a unique flavor. The dish is not complicated but requires proper handling of ingredients so that the squid does not become chewy, and the chive flowers still retain their green color and crispness after stir-frying. In the article below, Ola Squid will guide you on how to make stir-fried squid with chive flowers simply and easily right at home, please check it out.

Ingredients for stir-fried squid with chive flowers

Below are some ingredients for making stir-fried squid with chive flowers for about 3 – 4 people:

How to choose fresh and delicious squid and chive flowers

Fresh ingredients largely determine the deliciousness of the stir-fry. When choosing squid and chive flowers, you should prioritize ingredients with natural colors and no unusual odors.

• Fresh squid: Choose those with a translucent body, natural bright color, tightly adhering skin, clear eyes, and elastic flesh. Fresh squid usually has a mild sea scent, with no strong fishy or ammonia odor.
• Chive flowers: Choose bundles of chive flowers with a fresh green color, firm stalks, intact buds, and no bruising or rot. Avoid chive flowers that have turned yellow, soft, or show signs of sliminess.

See more: Tips for choosing fresh squid from food connoisseurs

How to make crispy, sweet stir-fried squid with chive flowers

To keep the squid crispy and sweet without being chewy, and the chive flowers green and crisp after stir-frying, you need to perform the steps in order from prepping, blanching the squid to marinating and stir-frying the ingredients. The steps are not too complicated, but the handling time of the squid and chive flowers needs to be controlled for the dish to retain its natural flavor. Below is the detailed how to make stir-fried squid with chive flowers, which you can easily do right at home.

Step 1 – Ingredient Preparation

Prepping squid: Clean the squid, remove the ink sac, eyes, and internal organs, then rinse with clean water. Rub gently with a little salt to eliminate odor, then rinse again and drain. Lightly score the squid body in cross-hatch patterns or cut into bite-sized pieces to make it visually appealing and easily absorb seasonings.

Prepping chive flowers: Discard the tough bottoms, yellowed, or bruised parts of the chive flowers, rinse gently under running water, and drain. Cut the chive flowers into segments about 4 – 5 cm long for easy stir-frying and eating. Peel and mince the garlic; peel and julienne or crush the ginger.

Step 2 – Blanching the squid

Bring a pot of water to a boil with a few slices of ginger, then add the squid to blanch quickly for about 20 – 30 seconds. When the squid has just firmed up, remove it immediately and drain. Do not blanch for too long as the squid may overcook, lose its crispness, and become chewy when stir-fried.

Step 3 – Marinating the squid

Put the squid in a bowl, add 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and a little ground pepper. Mix gently to coat evenly, then marinate for about 10 – 15 minutes. Do not marinate for too long to prevent the squid from releasing excess liquid and affecting the firmness of the flesh.

Step 4 – Stir-frying squid with chive flowers

Heat the pan, add cooking oil, and sauté garlic and ginger until fragrant. Once aromatic, add the squid and toss quickly on high heat for about 1 – 2 minutes. Next, add the chive flowers, along with the remaining fish sauce and oyster sauce, and stir-fry until the chive flowers are just cooked through.

Adjust seasoning to taste then turn off the stove. Do not stir-fry for too long, ensuring the squid does not become chewy and the chive flowers retain their vibrant green color and natural crispiness.

Step 5 – Finished Dish and Enjoyment

The completed stir-fried squid with chive flowers features eye-catching colors: bright white squid that is firm, crispy, and well-seasoned, alongside fresh green chive flowers that are slightly crunchy with a signature aroma. Plate the dish, sprinkle with some ground pepper, and enjoy while hot.

This dish goes perfectly with white rice, as the sweetness of the squid pairs beautifully with the mild chive flowers, creating a flavorful yet refreshing stir-fry that is never greasy.

See more stir-fried squid recipes to make your meals even more appealing:

• What is good to stir-fry with squid? 20+ suggested recipes to enrich your meals
• How to make delicious, crispy, and flavorful stir-fried squid with pickled mustard greens for home meals
• Recipe for making crispy, sweet, and fragrant stir-fried squid with green beans
• How to make refreshing stir-fried squid with luffa to conquer any palate
• How to make delicious, non-fishy stir-fried squid with celery and garlic
• How to make crispy, flavorful stir-fried squid with broccoli
• How to make crispy, delicious, non-chewy mixed stir-fried squid
• How to make sweet and sour, crunchy stir-fried squid with pineapple at home
• How to make green, crispy, and flavorful stir-fried squid with Tonkin jasmine flowers
• How to make green, crispy, and extremely delicious stir-fried squid with water spinach

Secrets to keeping squid crunchy and chive flowers green and crisp

To ensure the stir-fried squid with chive flowers retains the crispy sweetness of the squid and the eye-catching green color of the chive flowers, you must pay attention from prep to cooking time. A few small tips below will help make the dish more delicious without needing too much seasoning:

• Blanch squid quickly: Only blanch until the squid just firms up and remove immediately, avoiding overcooking and making it chewy.
• Keep ingredients well-drained: The drier the squid and chive flowers are, the easier the pan retains heat, minimizing the dish releasing too much water.
• Stir-fry squid on high heat: High temperature helps the squid cook quickly, maintaining its firmness and limiting juice secretion during stir-frying.
• Add chive flowers last: Since chive flowers cook quickly, they should only be added when the squid is almost done; toss quickly to preserve their green color and crunchiness.
• Do not overcook: Once the chive flowers are just tender and the squid is well-infused with flavor, turn off the heat immediately to prevent the squid from turning chewy and the chive flowers soft.

Above is the how to make stir-fried squid with chive flowers crispy, sweet, and delicious with simple and easy-to-follow steps right at home. Just pay attention to the prepping step and cooking time, and you can easily maintain the firm crispness of the squid along with the vibrant green color and delicate flavor of the chive flowers. If you are a fan of squid dishes, you can check out dried squid Ola Squid with various options in body size and thickness, suitable for enjoying or gifting.