Simmered squid stuffed with ground chicken イカの鶏肉詰め

I am not sure where I got this recipe. It may be that this is how my mother made it. I used to make this often but somehow stopped making it for some time. Since we had some nice small squid, my wife requested it.

I just followed my memory and did not look for any recipe. I made the stuffing from ground chicken breast (I could have used thigh), grated ginger, chopped scallion, chopped up squid legs and squid bodies (I used the ones with nicks or holes which were not suitable for stuffing), salt and pepper (the amount is all arbitrary). Make sure the squid body is clean and the cartilage is out. Stuff it to 2/3 full with the chicken mixture and close the end by inserting toothpicks as if it were a needle worked into cloth. I used a classic Japanese simmering liquid consisting of broth, mirin, sake, and soy sauce and added a few slices of ginger for added ginger flavor. I added small baby Yukon gold potatoes in addition to the stuffed squid and simmered it for 30 minutes with the lid on. In the last 4 minutes, I added florets of broccoli. You could add any kind of greens such as snow peas, green beans or asparagus, instead. You can serve this immediately after removing the tooth pick and slicing it into a ring. You could leave the leftovers in the broth in the refrigerator and  reheat it the next day.  It actually tastes better as all the flavors marry.

This is a very nice dish with a good ginger flavor and nice soft chicken stuffing with small bits of cut-up squid. Squid body has nice texture and also adds flavor to the broth. Potatoes absorbed all the flavors. My wife likes to mash up the potatoes in the broth. Cold sake is what we had with this and it was perfect.