Bún mực, squid with noodle soup, suits anyone who loves seafood, especially squid. The bowl gets two kinds of squid: fried patties of chopped squid and ground pork, and pieces of squid fried with shallots. The broth is cooked with tomatoes and pineapple. Time: the squid mixture rests in the fridge for about 2–3 hours. Ingredients For the squid 1 kg fresh squid 50 g ground pork Spring onion, tapioca starch, salt, pepper, Maggi seasoning, oil Shallots Annatto seed oil For the broth 2–3 tomatoes 2 sliced pineapple (100–150 g) Water or pork/chicken broth Salt, sugar, Maggi seasoning Other Fish sauce For the bowls Noodles Chili sauce Bean sprouts, basil, salad Spring onion, coriander How to make bún mực 1. Prepare the squid Clean the squid well and separate the heads from the bodies. Use a towel to absorb all the water. If you want to use some fresh squid, keep a little aside and slice it into medium pieces. 2. Make the squid mixture Use a knife to mince the rest of the squid well. Mix it with sliced spring onion, 2 teaspoons tapioca starch, 2 teaspoons salt, ½ Maggi seasoning (the original gives no unit), a little pepper and 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. Add the ground pork to the squid mixture and mix it well with a spoon until it becomes thick. Cover it carefully with a plastic bag and put it in the fridge for about 2–3 hours. 3. Prepare the vegetables Wash the bean sprouts, salad and basil well and leave them to dry. Wash the spring onion and coriander and slice them small. Cut the eyes off the pineapple and slice it thinly. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into quarters. 4. Fry the sliced squid In a small pot, heat 2–3 teaspoons annatto seed oil, add sliced shallots and fry until fragrant. Add the sliced squid (the part you didn’t mince) and fry until it’s cooked. Pour it into a clean bowl. 5. Make the broth Using the same pot, add the tomatoes and fry for 5 minutes, then add the pineapple. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar and fry for 5–8 minutes more. Add water or pork/chicken broth (3–4 bowls) and bring it to the boil. Season with salt, sugar and Maggi to suit your taste. 6. Fry the chopped squid Take the squid mixture out of the fridge and wait about 10 minutes. Scoop it with a spoon into small balls and spread them out gently. Heat 1–2 tablespoons oil, add all the squid balls to the pan and fry until they turn golden brown. Put them on a plate lined with paper napkins to absorb the excess oil. 7. Serve Put some noodles into each bowl, then add the fried chopped squid and the fried squid from step 4. Ladle in the broth with some of the tomatoes and pineapple, and sprinkle with the sliced spring onion and coriander. Eat it with the bean sprouts, basil and salad. Share:
