Unlock Delicious Sweet and Sour Squid Stir-Fry: A Simple Recipe

If you are looking for a dish that is both delicious, easy to prepare, and carries the bold flavor of the sea, then sweet and sour stir-fried squid is definitely the perfect choice. With just a few familiar, easy-to-find ingredients and about 20 minutes, you can immediately prepare a plate of delicious and authentic sweet and sour squid right in your own kitchen. Below, let’s explore the detailed recipe for sweet and sour stir-fried squid with Ola Squid in this article!

1. Introduction to sweet and sour stir-fried squid

1.1. Highlights of the dish

Sweet and sour stir-fried squid is a familiar dish in many Vietnamese families. This dish is a delicate blend of the mild sweetness of sugar, the light acidity of vinegar or tomatoes, along with the characteristic aroma and chewy, crunchy texture of fresh squid.

When tasting, you will feel the perfect balance between the flavors in each flavorful piece of squid. Not only is it delicious, but the sweet and sour stir-fried squid also has the eye-catching colors of various vegetables, creating a nutritious and highly attractive meal.

1.2. Nutritional value

Squid is a rich source of protein, containing plenty of vitamin B12, iron, zinc, and omega-3, which help boost the immune system, improve memory, and are good for heart health. When combined with vegetables like bell peppers, carrots, onions, etc., the delicious sweet and sour stir-fried squid provides full essential nutrients for the body. In particular, this is also a low-fat dish, suitable for those on a weight loss diet or a healthy eating plan.

2. How to make sweet and sour stir-fried squid

2.1. Ingredients to prepare

To make delicious sweet and sour stir-fried squid, you need to prepare:

• 200g fresh squid
• 1 onion, 1 carrot
• 2 bell peppers, 20g celery
• 20g ginger, 10g green onions
• ½ cup white wine, ½ tablespoon edible vinegar
• Seasonings such as salt, sugar, seasoning powder, MSG

2.2. Pre-processing ingredients

First, fresh squid needs to be cleaned, removing the skin, ink sac, entrails, and eyes. For small squid, you can cut them into rounds about 1.5 cm thick, while for large squid, you should slice them into bite-sized pieces so they stay crunchy when cooked.

Next, prepare a pot of ginger water mixed with white wine. When the water boils, add the pre-processed squid and blanch quickly for about 1 minute to remove the fishy smell. Then, take the squid out and rinse with cold water.

Pre-processing other ingredients:

• Peel and wash the carrot, then slice thinly or carve into flowers to make the dish more beautiful.
• Remove seeds from bell peppers, wash, and cut into 3cm squares for uniform color.
• Peel the onion and cut into bite-sized wedges.
• Wash celery, cut into 5cm segments, and remove old leaves.
• Cut green onions into segments and peel and mince fresh ginger.

2.3. Cooking steps

• Step 1 – Prepare the sweet and sour sauce: In a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon of sugar, ⅓ tablespoon of soup powder, ½ tablespoon of rice vinegar, ½ teaspoon of MSG, 3 tablespoons of ketchup, and a little filtered water. Stir well until the mixture is combined and slightly thickened.
• Step 2 – Stir-fry the squid: Heat the pan with cooking oil, add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant and golden, then add the pre-processed squid and stir quickly until the squid is slightly firm. Continue to add carrots, onions, bell peppers, and a little minced ginger, stirring well for about 1 minute so the vegetables are just cooked and still crunchy.
• Step 3 – Completion: Pour the prepared sweet and sour sauce into the pan, continue to stir-fry until the squid is evenly infused with spices and tender. Finally, add celery and green onions, stir quickly, and turn off the heat to preserve the color and aroma.
• Step 4 – Enjoy: Scoop the stir-fried squid onto a plate, garnish with a few slices of chili or carved carrots for an eye-catching look. This sweet and sour stir-fried squid dish can be served with white rice or as a snack.

See more: What to cook with dried squid? Top 15 attractive dishes from dried squid

3. Secret to making the perfect sweet and sour stir-fried squid

Here are some notes when making delicious sweet and sour stir-fried squid, ensuring the best flavor:

• Choose fresh squid: Prioritize those with a shiny color, milky white body, and good elasticity when touched. Clear eyes, and the head and tentacles firmly attached to the body are signs that the squid is still fresh. Avoid choosing soft, watery squid or those with a strange smell, as they have been kept for a long time and easily become mushy when cooked.
• Blanch the squid correctly: Before stir-frying, you should blanch the squid quickly in ginger water mixed with wine to remove the fishy smell and help the squid meat become firmer and crunchier. Do not blanch for too long as it will make the squid tough.
• Do not stir-fry squid for too long: Squid cooks quickly, so you should only stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes, ensuring it retains its natural sweet crunchiness. Stir-frying for too long will make the squid dry, chewy, and lose its fresh taste.
• Stir-fry vegetables just until cooked: When adding carrots, onions, and bell peppers, only stir-fry quickly so the vegetables remain crunchy and keep their bright colors, helping the dish look more attractive.

4. Attractive variations of sweet and sour stir-fried squid

Below are three ways to prepare sweet and sour stir-fried squid with new flavors that you can refer to:

4.1. Stir-fried squid with pineapple (sweet and sour)

Ingredients to prepare when making sweet and sour stir-fried squid with pineapple:

• 300g fresh squid
• 2 fresh chilies, 1 pineapple
• 3 shallots, 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• Green onions, coriander
• Satay sauce, cooking oil
• Other seasonings such as seasoning powder, MSG, soup powder, pepper

How to prepare stir-fried squid with pineapple (sweet and sour):

• Step 1 – Pre-processing ingredients:

• • First, wash the squid with diluted saltwater, then remove the gladius, ink sac, and internal organs. Wash several times until clean and let drain.
  • Marinate the squid with ½ teaspoon of pepper and 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, mix well and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
  • Peel the pineapple and cut into bite-sized pieces. Wash and finely chop shallots, chili, green onions, and coriander.

• Step 2 – Stir-fry the squid:

• • Next, put the pan on the stove, add cooking oil, and sauté minced garlic until fragrant. Then add the marinated squid and stir-fry quickly over high heat until firm, then remove the squid to a plate.
  • Keep the liquid in the pan, add pineapple, shallots, and chili, stirring well, and season with soup powder and MSG. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, then return the squid to the pan, add satay sauce, green onions, and coriander, stir well for about 30 seconds, and turn off the heat.
• Step 3 – Presentation and enjoyment: Scoop the stir-fried squid onto a plate, decorate with a few sprigs of coriander or chili slices for beauty. The stir-fried squid with pineapple has a mild spicy and sour taste mixed with the natural sweetness of the squid. You should eat it while hot with white rice; it is guaranteed that the whole family will love it!

See more: How to prepare fragrant and super delicious stir-fried dried squid with pineapple

4.2. Sweet and sour stir-fried calamari

Ingredients prepared for 2-3 people are as follows:

• 300g calamari (tube squid)
• 2 cucumbers, ½ pineapple
• 200g tomatoes, 100g onion
• 100g celery
• Shallots, garlic, ginger
• Seasonings such as fish sauce, pepper, sugar, seasoning powder, oyster sauce, cornstarch, and cooking oil.

Instructions for preparing sweet and sour stir-fried calamari:

• Step 1 – Pre-processing ingredients:

• • Clean the squid, rinse with water and white wine to remove the fishy smell, and let drain. Use a knife to lightly score the body of the squid and cut into bite-sized pieces so that when stir-fried, the squid absorbs more seasoning.
  • Wash tomatoes and cut into wedges, slice the pineapple, remove seeds from cucumbers and slice diagonally. Thinly slice the onion, and cut celery and green onions into short segments.

• Step 2 – Marinating and stir-frying the squid: Next, put the squid in a bowl and marinate with minced shallots, garlic, ginger, seasoning powder, pepper, sugar, and a little cornstarch to make the squid crunchy and drier when stir-fried. Then, mix well and let it absorb the spices for about 10 minutes. Heat the pan, sauté minced shallots, then add the squid and stir-fry quickly over high heat until just cooked, then remove the squid and set aside.
• Step 3 – Stir-frying vegetables:
  • Add a little oil to the same pan, sauté the remaining garlic, shallots, and ginger, then add the tomatoes first to create a sweet and sour taste.
  • Stir until soft, then add cucumbers and onions, stir-frying quickly. Re-season to taste, adding 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce to make the dish more fragrant.
  • When the vegetables are just cooked, add green onions and celery and stir well.
• Step 4 – Completion: Finally, add the stir-fried squid back in, stir well a few times to coat with the sauce, and turn off the heat. Scoop onto a plate, serve hot with white rice or dip in chili soy sauce. The sweet and sour stir-fried calamari has eye-catching colors and a mild sweet and sour taste combined with crunchy squid.

See more: How to stir-fry fresh squid delicious and crunchy without fishy smell at home

4.3. Sweet and sour stir-fried broad squid

The ingredients you need to prepare for sweet and sour stir-fried broad squid include:

• 2 broad squids (cuttlefish)
• 1 bell pepper, ¼ pineapple
• 1 cucumber, 1 tomato
• 1 horn chili, ½ onion
• Green onions, 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• Seasonings including cooking oil, chili sauce, ketchup, plum chili sauce, sugar, oyster sauce, seasoning powder, MSG, and vinegar.

Detailed steps for sweet and sour stir-fried broad squid:

• • Step 1 – Pre-processing ingredients: Clean the broad squid, rinse with saltwater or wine, then let drain and cut into bite-sized rings. Wash all vegetables, slice the pineapple, cut cucumbers, bell peppers, and tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, cut green onions into segments, wedge the onion, and slice the horn chili.
  • Step 2 – Boiling the squid: Bring water to a boil, add the squid and boil for about 2-3 minutes, then take out and let drain. Boiling helps the squid maintain its crunchy texture and prepares it for the stir-frying step.

• Step 3 – Stir-frying squid with vegetables:

• • Next, place the pan on the stove, add cooking oil, and sauté minced garlic. Then, add the boiled squid to the pan with 150ml of water, pineapple, cucumber, bell pepper, and tomato, stirring well. Season with 1 tablespoon of ketchup, 1 tablespoon of chili sauce, ½ tablespoon of MSG, ½ tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of plum chili sauce, a little seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce.
  • Turn on high heat and stir-fry until the vegetables are just cooked and the sauce is slightly thickened. Finally, add the onion, horn chili, and green onions, stir well, and turn off the heat.

• Step 4 – Finishing the dish: The sweet and sour stir-fried broad squid has an attractive ivory white color, crunchy squid combined with a rich sauce, a mild sourness from the pineapple, tomato, and a bit of vinegar balanced with the natural sweetness of the squid. Serve hot with white rice to fully enjoy the flavor.

See more:

• Instructions on how to make delicious, authentic stir-fried squid with tomatoes
  
• How to make sweet and sour tamarind sauce squid, irresistibly delicious
  
• What to cook with cuttlefish? Suggestions for easy and delicious dishes at home

Hopefully, these detailed instructions on how to make delicious and simple sweet and sour stir-fried squid will help you successfully prepare this dish for your whole family. If you want to experience the highest quality ingredients, don’t forget to visit our Ola Squid shop to explore premium whole dried squid products and many other unique recipes at olasquid.com!