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:

1. In a medium bowl, mix ground pork + oyster sauce + fish sauce + ground pepper + minced shallots + chopped wood ear mushrooms.
2. 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.
3. Pierce the tops together with a toothpick to prevent the pork mixture from spilling out.
4. 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.
5. Serve immediately with ginger sauce (recipe below).

To make ginger sauce:

1. Use a pestle/mortar to pound garlic and ginger until combined.
2. In a small bowl, mix garlic ginger + sugar + fish sauce + lime juice.