Mai

This is one of my favorite dishes for a weekday family dinner.

Squid and pineapple may sound like a strange combination of ingredients (is it stranger than pineapple and ham though?), but it works incredibly well. An unexpected match perhaps, but one that is made in heaven! The pineapple provides a bright sweetness and acidity, which bring out the subtle flavors of the squid while also making it more tender.

Whenever we would have this for dinner growing up, I always looked forward to when that delicious sweet and savory sauce was the only thing left on the plate, so I could pour it over the rest of my rice! Arguably the best part 😉.

We also have a vegan version with king oyster mushrooms instead of squid and seriously, it was just as good. The ‘meaty’ chewy texture of the king oyster mushroom stem was a perfect replacement. We would gladly eat either version any day.

INGREDIENTS

• Squid – Mực: You can buy whole squids (my preference because I love the tentacles) fresh or frozen, or pre-cut frozen squid rings made for fried calamari.
• Pineapple – Dứa/Thơm/Khóm: Fun fact, this fruit has 3 different names in Vietnam, one for each region!
• Leaf/Chinese celery: Often sold in Asian grocery stores, but you can also use the green tops of western celery
• Green onion – Hành lá
• White onion – Hành tây trắng
• Garlic – Tỏi
• Ginger – Gừng
• Vegetable oil – Dầu thực vật
• Fish sauce – Nước mắm: arguably the most important seasoning sauce in Vietnamese cuisine. Made from fermented anchovies, it is salty and incredibly umami. Non-vegan Vietnamese recipes without fish sauce are very rare. The best nước mắm comes from Phú Quốc or surrounding islands off the coast- Southwest of mainland Vietnam. Our favorite brand available outside of Vietnam is Red Boat (U.S.).
• Bouillon – Hạt nêm: think broth, but in solid form. Bouillon is an amazingly easy way to bring that umami flavor to your food. We use it instead of salt in many of our dishes. You can usually find chicken, pork, or mushroom bouillon. In Vietnam, Knorr is the most common brand. However, we have only been able to find Knorr in powder form in the US and France, not granules. Instead, we use Totole brand chicken or mushroom bouillon. The quantities on our website are based on the granule-type so if you use powder, adjust to your taste.
• Bird’s eye chillies – Ớt hiểm

DIRECTIONS

1. If you bought fresh or frozen whole squids: thaw if needed, separate the head, discard the quill, ink sac, innards, eyes, and beak.
   If you bought squid rings: thaw.
   Rinse with salt water. Cut into 1-1.5 cm thick rings.
2. Peel, remove eyes, core, and cut pineapple into bite size wedges.
3. Mince garlic.
4. Peel and mince ginger.
5. Cut white onion into thin wedges.
6. Cut celery and green onions into 3-4 cm lengths.
7. Heat half of the vegetable oil on medium in a large pan, add garlic and ginger. Sauté for a minute or so until fragrant.
8. Add squid and season with fish sauce. Sauté until just cooked. This should take only 2-3 minutes, be careful not to overcook as it will become rubbery.
9. Remove the squid to a bowl and set aside.
10. Heat the remaining half of oil in the same pan.
11. Add in white onion and pineapple. Sauté until the onion is translucent.
12. Add in celery and green onion, along with the bouillon. Sauté until greens are wilted.
13. Add the squid back in (with sliced chillies if you like spicy).
14. Mix and cook for another 2-3 minutes, season with more bouillon and fish sauce to taste.
15. Remove from heat and serve with rice!

RECIPE VIDEO

COMING SOON!

Mực xào dứa • Sautéed Squid & Pineapple

Course: MainCuisine: VietnameseDifficulty: Easy

Makes

2

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

30

minutes

An amazing combination of textures and flavors: tender and slightly chewy squid with crunchy celery; sweet and acidic pineapple pieces with umami squid.

Ingredients

• 300 g 300 squid (fresh or frozen)

• 300 g 300 pineapple

• 100 g 100 leaf celery, a.k.a Chinese celery (You can also use the green tops of western celery)

• 25 g 25 green onion

• 1/2 1/2 medium white onion

• 20 g 20 garlic

• 15 g 15 fresh ginger

• 2 tbsp 2 vegetable oil

• 1 tsp 1 fish sauce (+ more to taste)

• 1 tsp 1 bouillon (+ more to taste)

• Bird’s eye chillies (optional)

Directions

• If you bought fresh or frozen whole squids: thaw, separate the head, discard the quill, ink sac, innards, eyes, and beak if needed.
  If you bought squid rings: thaw.
  Rinse with salt water. Cut into 1-1.5 cm thick rings.
• Peel, remove eyes, core, and cut pineapple into bite size wedges.
• Mince garlic.
• Peel and mince ginger.
• Cut white onion into thin wedges.
• Cut celery and green onions into 3-4 cm lengths.
• Heat half of the vegetable oil on medium in a large pan, add garlic and ginger. Sauté for a minute or so until fragrant.
• Add squid and season with fish sauce. Sauté until just cooked. This should take only 2-3 minutes, be careful not to overcook as it will become rubbery.
• Remove the squid to a bowl and set aside.
• Heat the remaining half of oil in the same pan.
• Add in white onion and pineapple. Sauté until the onion is translucent.
• Add in celery and green onion, along with the bouillon. Sauté until greens are wilted.
• Add the squid back in (with sliced chillies if you like spicy).
• Mix and cook for another 2-3 minutes, season with more bouillon and fish sauce to taste.
• Remove from heat and serve with rice!

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