This is one of Mai’s 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.
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, Mai always looked forward to when that delicious sweet and savory sauce was the only thing left on the plate, so she could pour it over the rest of her rice! Arguably the best part 😉.
We also made 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.
Mực/nấm xào dứa • Sautéed Squid/Mushrooms & Pineapple
Course: MainCuisine: VietnameseDifficulty: Easy2
servings10
minutes20
minutes30
minutesIngredients
300 g 300 squid (Vegan alternative: king oyster mushrooms- the thicker the stem, the better)
300 g 300 pineapple
110 g 110 leaf celery, a.k.a Chinese celery (You can also use the green tops of western celery)
2 stalks 2 green onion
1/2 1/2 medium white onion
2 tbsp 2 garlic – minced
2 tbsp 2 ginger – minced
2 tsp 2 bouillon powder (+ more to taste)
fish sauce (Vegan alternative: vegan fish sauce or soy sauce)
Red chillies (optional)
Directions
- If you bought whole squids: separate the head, discard the quill, ink sac, innards, eyes, and beak. Rinse with salt and water. Cut into 1 cm thick rings.
If using king oyster mushrooms: rinse and cut into 1 cm thick slices. - Peel, core, and cut pineapple into bite size wedges.
- Cut white onion into thin wedges.
- Cut celery and green onions into 3-4 cm lengths.
- Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil on medium in a large pan, add garlic and ginger. Sauté for a minute or so until fragrant.
- Add squid or mushrooms and season with half the bouillon. Sauté until just cooked. Squid will take only 2-3 minutes (be careful not to overcook). Mushrooms will take longer, about 7-10 minutes.
- Remove squid/mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.
- Heat another tablespoon of oil in the same pan. Add in white onion and pineapple. Sauté until the onion is translucent and the pineapple is soft.
- Add in celery and green onion. Sauté until greens are wilted.
- Add squid/mushrooms back in (with sliced red chillies if you like spicy). Mix and cook for another 2-3 minutes, season with the rest of the bouillon and fish/soy sauce to taste.
- Serve with rice!
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