Sweet and Sour Calamari

I love Asian cuisine. The Mr. and I don't go out to eat all that often so unless I can talk him into ordering Chinese food, I'm usually stuck making it myself.

The other day I had taken out calamari rings from the freezer but wasn't exactly sure what to make with it. I was searching on the internet for a recipe when I saw one for pineapple calamari which peeked my interest. The only problem was I didn't have pineapple and I wasn't about to run to the store to buy it. So instead I stuck my head in the refrigerator to see what I had on hand and decided to make a sweet and sour sauce with what I had. I felt like a mad scientist mixing a ton of stuff together and had you seen everything on the counter you would have thought I was doing an experiment. Luckily the dish turned out delicious in the end and I quickly wrote down everything I did before I forgot it. I'm really glad that this recipe turned out because it was super simple to make and I always have these ingredients on hand. Half the time I have a container of leftover rice in the refrigerator just waiting to be used, so this is a perfect opportunity to use it. Of course, this recipe can be used with chicken, pork, beef, shrimp or even extra firm tofu.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 1/3 c. rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. apricot and pineapple jam
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp corn starch

Mix all ingredients together and set aside.



Sweet and Sour Calamari

• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, wedged
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 button mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 2 dried red chili peppers
• 1 c. broccoli florets
• 1 1/2 lbs. calamari (squid) rings
• 1 Tbsp oil

1. In a large skillet over medium heat add oil. Once heated, add dried chili peppers until lightly toasted but not burned. 
2. Add vegetables and cook until just tender; about 5 minutes. 
3. Add calamari and cook until white; about 5-8 minutes. 
4. Stir in sauce and cook until thickened. 
5. Serve over a bed of rice.

This post is submitted in Whole Foods Wednesday Newlyweds Recipe Linky