Last week, we took our three kids to get tested for COVID-19. They had a playdate at our neighbor’s who later tested positive. Needless to say, we were a tad stressed out.
After having their nasal swabs, kiddos started laughing: “Mom, imagine when an *elephant* gets COVID!!!!”
There’s always a bright side of everything.
Vietnamese stuffed squid with ginger sauce
(My own recipe)
For stuffed squids:
2 lb cleaned squid (medium size, about 8 squids)
1 lb ground pork
1 tbs oyster sauce
1/2 tbs fish sauce
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 shallots (minced)
3-4 wood ear mushrooms (soaked in warm water about 10 min, drained and chopped)
Toothpicks
Canola oil
For ginger sauce:
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger (sliced)
2 garlic cloves (peeled and sliced)
2 tsp sugar
1 tbs fish sauce
Juice of 1/4 lime
To make the stuffed squid:
- In a medium bowl, mix ground pork + oyster sauce + fish sauce + ground pepper + minced shallots + chopped wood ear mushrooms.
- Use a spoon to stuff pork mixture into the squids and fill about 2/3.
- Note: If using small-sized squids, you may need to poach them quickly in hot water so the squid can be sturdy enough to stuff.
- Pierce the tops together with a toothpick to prevent the pork mixture from spilling out.
- In a large pan, heat canola oil under medium heat and fry stuffed squids for about 5 minutes each side.
- Note 1: Cooking time varies by the size of the squids.
- Note 2: If using large-sized squids (about 2 squids per pound), you may need to steam them for 10 minutes before frying to make sure the stuffing is cooked well.
- Serve immediately with ginger sauce (recipe below).
To make ginger sauce:
- Use a pestle/mortar to pound garlic and ginger until combined.
- In a small bowl, mix garlic ginger + sugar + fish sauce + lime juice.
