Mực Nhồi Thịt (Vietnamese Stuffed Squid)

Ingredients

Main dish

  • 12 small squid, cleaned, with tentacles removed and reserved
  • 2 spring onions, cut into 2-inch lengths
  • 2 dried black mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes and quartered
  • 2 tablespoons nước mắm
  • 1 small carrot, sliced
  • 30 grams bamboo shoots, drained and sliced
  • 1 tablespoon of Nước màu
  • 2 cups chicken stock

Stuffing

  • 6 squid tentacles, finely chopped
  • 250 grams pork fat, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 2 dried black mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, stems removed, and finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon nước mắm
  • 1 pinch sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch pepper
Mực Nhồi Thịt (Vietnamese Stuffed Squid)

Photo: David McKelvey from Brisbane, Australia / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

Procedure

Stuffing

  1. Combine chopped squid tentacles, minced pork fat, and garlic.
  2. Add spring onion and mushrooms to the squid mixture, along with nước mắm, sugar, salt and pepper.
  3. Stuff into the squid heads and secure the openings with toothpicks.

Main dish

  1. Place stuffed squid in a casserole dish or clay pot along with the sliced carrot, bamboo shoots, spring onions, quartered mushrooms and soaking liquid, caramel sauce, chicken stock, and nước mắm.
  2. Place in a preheated 350 °F oven, and bake for 20 minutes.
  3. Serve in the pot accompanied by steamed rice.