Crispy Squid Stir-Fried with Water Spinach: Easy Recipe

Ingredients for making squid stir-fried with water spinach

To make squid stir-fried with water spinach delicious, you need to prepare all the ingredients below.

Detailed guide on how to make authentic squid stir-fried with water spinach

After preparing all the ingredients, you can start cooking following the steps below.

Step 1 – Preparing the squid and water spinach

Preparing the squid properly will help the squid avoid a fishy smell and keep the water spinach crisp after stir-frying.

• Clean the squid, remove the ink sac, beak and internal organs, then rinse with diluted salt water or crushed ginger to remove the fishy smell. Lightly score the squid body, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Pick off the old parts of the water spinach, wash clean, cut into sections about 5-7 cm and drain thoroughly.

Step 2 – Marinating the squid properly

Marinating the squid before stir-frying will help the squid meat absorb the flavor while still keeping its natural crunchiness. The method is very simple, you just need to put the squid in a bowl, add 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, ½ teaspoon of ground pepper and ½ teaspoon of MSG, then mix well. Marinate for about 10–15 minutes so the seasoning soaks evenly into each piece of squid before cooking.

Step 3 – Stir-frying the squid quickly to keep it crunchy

Heat the pan with a little cooking oil, sauté the garlic until fragrant, then add the marinated squid and stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes. When the squid has just firmed up and released its aroma, quickly transfer it to a plate to avoid stir-frying too long, which would make the squid meat tough.

Step 4 – Stir-frying the water spinach to keep it green and crisp

Continue using the same pan used for stir-frying the squid, add a little more oil if needed, then add the water spinach and stir well over high heat. Season with seasoning powder and oyster sauce to taste, stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes until the vegetable is just cooked through, then add the chili and stir well.

Step 5 – Finishing and plating the dish

When the water spinach is just cooked through, add the stir-fried squid back into the pan and stir quickly for about 30 seconds to 1 minute so the ingredients blend together. Adjust the seasoning to taste, then turn off the heat. Plate the dish, sprinkle a little ground pepper on top, and enjoy while hot to fully savor the sweetness of the squid and the crunchiness of the water spinach.

Tips to make squid stir-fried with water spinach more appealing and flavorful

Below are a few small tips to help the squid stir-fried with water spinach dish become crunchier, more delicious, more attractive and more flavorful.

• Tip to keep the squid from becoming tough: The squid should only be stir-fried for about 2-3 minutes until it just firms up, then transferred to a plate. Do not stir-fry for too long, as prolonged high heat will cause the squid meat to shrink, lose its crunchiness and become tough and rubbery.
• Tip to keep the water spinach green, without turning black or mushy: The water spinach needs to be washed clean and drained thoroughly before stir-frying. Stir-fry over high heat, toss quickly and do not cover the pan so the vegetable retains its natural green color. Finally, only add the squid back into the pan when the vegetable is just cooked through so that both ingredients reach their best flavor.

See more: How to make squid soup with water spinach, delicious and not fishy

Tips for choosing fresh squid and water spinach

Fresh ingredients are an important factor determining the flavor of the squid stir-fried with water spinach dish. Therefore, you should take time to choose carefully so the squid stays sweet and crunchy and the water spinach stays green and delicious after cooking.

How to choose fresh, non-fishy squid

For the dish to have a delicious flavor, you should prioritize squid that is still fresh, with a shiny skin, natural color and clear, non-cloudy eyes. When gently pressed with a finger, the squid meat should have good elasticity, leaving no dent, while the head and tentacles remain firmly attached to the body. In addition, fresh squid will have the distinctive smell of seafood, without any foul or ammonia-like odor.

How to choose young, green, crisp water spinach

Choose bunches of water spinach with medium-sized stems, slender stalks, fresh green leaves and still intact. Fresh vegetables usually have young tips and crisp stalks, without being crushed, wilted or turning yellow. Avoid choosing vegetables with overly thick stems or wilted leaves, as they will easily become fibrous, soften quickly and lose their distinctive crunchiness when stir-fried.

Variation: stir-fried dried squid with water spinach

When fresh squid is not available, you can completely substitute it with dried squid to stir-fry with water spinach. The result will have a richer flavor, chewy sweet squid meat and is very suitable to enjoy with hot rice.

To prepare it, you just need to soak the dried squid in warm water or beer for about 15-20 minutes until soft, then grill it briefly, tear or cut it into bite-sized pieces. Next, stir-fry the squid quickly over high heat until it just firms up, then follow the same steps for stir-frying the water spinach as in the fresh squid recipe. Finally, add the squid back into the pan and stir well for about 1 minute so the ingredients blend together and absorb the seasoning.

For the dish to be delicious and retain its natural sweetness, you should prioritize quality dried squid with a clear origin. If you are looking for suitable ingredients, you can refer to Ola Squid’s dried squid products to confidently cook many delicious dishes for your family.

See more squid stir-fry recipes to make your family meals more appealing:

• How to make squid stir-fried with pickled greens, crunchy and flavorful, just like home cooking
• Recipe for squid stir-fried with green beans, crisp, sweet and fragrant
• How to make squid stir-fried with loofah, light and refreshing, satisfying every palate
• How to make squid stir-fried with celery and garlic, delicious and not fishy
• How to make squid stir-fried with cauliflower, crunchy and flavorful

We hope that with the above sharing, you can master how to make squid stir-fried with water spinach, delicious and sweetly crunchy for your family meals. If you need advice on choosing suitable dried squid or want to find quality ingredients to cook many delicious squid dishes, please contact Ola Squid right away for quick support and to choose the product that fits your needs!