Every time the family puts out dried squid to grill, the atmosphere becomes bustling.

Every time children living far from home return to the city after a holiday, their luggage always includes a few bags of gifts from their hometown that their parents give them, sometimes a few dried fish, dried squid, sometimes a bag of fruit and vegetables.

During my trips back to my hometown, I sometimes "steal" a jar of dried shredded squid from my father - Photo: NHA XUAN

We often joked that we would come back to “rub aluminum - steal things from home”. During those trips to “rub aluminum”, I sometimes “stole” a jar of dried shredded squid from my father.

My hometown is the coastal area of ​​Mui Ne - Phan Thiet, so usually every house has a few dried fish, dried squid of all kinds in stock, and when you want, you can grill them, then dip them in a bowl of sweet, sour, and spicy tamarind and chili fish sauce.

Dip the dried pieces into a bowl of thick fish sauce and eat with rice and the pot will be empty.

The last time I came back to celebrate the Western New Year, my father took the opportunity to bring a kilo of dried squid that he kept in the refrigerator, only taking it out when he had guests, and grilling it for his daughter to bring to Saigon to eat. Each squid was as long as an adult’s forearm, about 7-8 pieces per kilo.

People often use squid and cuttlefish to dry, but in my father's experience, squid is suitable for drying squid because it is easy to eat. As for cuttlefish, he said that thick meat must be dried in the sun to be delicious, otherwise when dried, it becomes hard and difficult to break.

Dad mentioned "smashing" for a reason.

To have delicious dried squid, of course you need delicious dried squid, but that is only part of it - Photo: NHA XUAN

"Secret" to have delicious dried squid dish

To have delicious dried squid, of course you need delicious dried squid, but that is only part of it.

The grilling step seems to be the most difficult but it is actually not, because dried squid is very easy to cook, just flip it over and over a few times over low heat, the squid changes color and curls up, slightly charring the edges of the body.

The most important "secret" to eating delicious dried squid that almost every coastal person knows is to "beat it".

After being grilled, the squid must be pounded "hard" with a pestle or hammer, the harder the better.

After being grilled, the squid must be pounded as hard as possible to loosen the meat and make it soft and sweet - Photo: NHA XUAN

The purpose of this is to make the dried squid meat fluffy, revealing each thin fiber of meat. The more fluffy the meat is, the softer the dried squid dish will be, easier to chew and when eaten, you will feel the full natural sweetness.

If you just grill it without pounding it, the dried squid will be tough and chewy, affecting the flavor of the dish. It will tire your hands when pounding it, but it will help your mouth when eating it.

When the squid has been shredded, continue to tear the squid into strands, the smaller the better, then put them in a jar to eat gradually, and keep in the refrigerator to use longer.

Whenever you have a craving, just take it out and spread some chili sauce on it and you have a "savory bait". If you are more diligent, add a bowl of tamarind fish sauce and eat with hot rice for a delicious treat.

Grilled dried squid with chili sauce - an irresistible delicacy - Photo: NHA XUAN

Every time the family puts out dried squid to grill, the atmosphere becomes bustling. Bustling because of the irresistible aroma of the grilled dried squid that makes everyone crave it, bustling because the old and young in the family gather around chattering, some grilling, some pounding, some tearing it noisily.

Once finished, the whole family gathered to enjoy the finished product, each person "picked" a few strands, talking and laughing happily, and in no time the plate of dried squid was gone.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/moi-lan-nha-bay-kho-muc-ra-nuong-la-khong-khi-chon-ron-han-len-20250114164737324.htm