Vietnam
Mực Khô Xào Me Chua Recipe: Stir-fried Dried Squid in Tamarind Sauce

Mực Khô Xào Me Chua Recipe: Stir-fried Dried Squid in Tamarind Sauce

Hanna Tran Hanna Tran | Updated October 16, 2026

Mực khô xào me chua is stir-fried dried squid in tamarind sauce. It works as a snack, and also as a main dish for a family lunch or dinner. The author cooks it for the family and thinks it’s a great choice on rainy days.

Mực Khô Xào Me Chua Recipe: Stir-fried Dried Squid in Tamarind Sauce
Photo: muckho, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ingredients

  • 1–2 dried squids (250–300 g)
  • 50 g tamarind meat (including seeds)
  • Chili, annatto seed oil, fish sauce, chili paste/sauté, sugar, garlic

How to make mực khô xào me chua

1. Grill and tear the squid

Grill the dried squids until they are fragrant. Cover them with paper and smash them with a wooden pestle until they are soft. Then tear them into small pieces by hand.

2. Make the tamarind water

Put the tamarind meat in a bowl and add a little hot water. Stir until all the meat has melted, then strain it to get the liquid and throw away the seeds.

3. Mix the sauce

Clean the garlic and chili and mince them well. Mix them with sugar, then add fish sauce and season to suit your taste. This step matters for the flavour of the dish.

4. Cook the sauce

Heat 2 teaspoons annatto seed oil. Add the sauce from step 3, the tamarind water from step 2 and a little chili paste/sauté to the pot, and cook until it is thick.

5. Add the squid

Add the squid to the pot and fry it quickly so the sauce coats all the squid. Cook until the sauce has dried, season again to suit your taste and turn off the heat.

The dish is ready to serve. You can also let it cool, store it in a glass jar and eat it day by day.

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