Garlic & Ginger Clams (上汤蛤俐)

This clam dish is one of my favorite as a child growing up in Malaysia.  I was a little homesick, so decided to make this to curb my homesickness plus it’s perfect for a cold winter day to slurp up the clams and its delicious broth. The original recipes would called for some Thai chilies to give it a kick, but I modified it so that my young tot can enjoy it as well.

This is the first time my baby tried clams, she wasn’t a fan but did eat a few and was more fascinated by the shells than its flesh. She does however, enjoy the broth very much when it is mixed in with her rice. Hope you all enjoy it !

Serves : 2 servings,   Each Serving : 108 calories  11 gm protein.

Ingredients: 

2/3 pounds Manilla Clams One 2 inches thick ginger – thinly sliced (you can used more or less depending on your taste) 6 cloves of garlic – chopped 1/4 cup White Wine or Rice Wine 2 cups Water 1 stalk green onion – chopped small 1 tablespoon of red peppers – diced small for garnish 1 tablespoon cooking oil 1/2 teaspoon of sugar Dash of white pepper powder

Salt or soy sauce to taste (Optional – I didn’t use it at all)

Instructions

1. Wash and brush clams slightly and then soak them in salt water solutions ( 4 cups water  + 1 teaspoon of salt ) for 20 minutes. Drain clams using a strainer and set aside.

2. Heat up cooking oil in a wok or large skillet (12 inches), add in garlic and ginger, stir fry until smell the fragrant (about 15-20 seconds).

3. Add in all the clams and stir fry for about 30 seconds, add in the white wine/rice wine, continue to stir the content for about one minute. Add in all the water and cover the wok or skillet and let the content come to a boil (about 3 minutes).

4. Open the lid and check the status of the clams, it should have open slightly. Stir the content couple times so that the heat is evenly distributed.  Cover the pot again and let it simmer for about 5-8 minutes.

5. Make sure all the clams are open. Tossed the one that didn’t. Finally add in a dash of white pepper powder, diced red peppers and chopped onions. Dish up and serve immediately.

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