{ Blanched Cockles with Garlic } 蒜香伴氽烫血蚶

Cockles!!  Like what I said previously when I shared this recipe, you either love this or hate it.

I love it but hate the scrubbing part, especially when you get small cockles. I happened to see cockles bigger than what I usually see in the supermarket and couldn't resist them. I bought some home and made this. Missed it so much.

If you too like eating cockles, hop over HERE for the recipe. :)

Steamed Egg Custard with Clams 蛤蜊蒸蛋

In my previous post, I mentioned that my kids have beginning to enjoy eating clams.

I bought some clams and saved some to add to their favourite steamed egg custard.  Apparently, the clams weren't enough for them. Hence they ate the Steamed Clams with Herbs and Tomatoes too.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• a pinch of salt
• 160ml Chicken Stock
• 250g Clams (more if you like)
• 1-2 Dried Scallop
• 1 teaspoon Cornflour
• 1/2 teaspoon Oyster Sauce

How to do it:

1. Clean clams and steam for 2 mins or till clams have slightly opened. 
2. Open up the clams and remove the clam meat. Strain and reserve the clam juice.
3. Soak the dried scallop in 5 tablespoon of hot water before hand.
4. Beat egg lightly in a bowl
5. Add broth, clam juice and salt.
6. Mix well.
7. Sieve the egg mixture if you want a smoother result.
8. Pour into a shallow flat dish.
9. Add clams.
10. Cover the bowl with foil.
11. Heat a pot of water for steaming.
12. When the water starts to boil, put in the dish.
13. Remove when egg is set.
14. While the egg is cooking, tear the scallop into strands.
15. Return the dried scallop strands to the water.
16. Add in oyster sauce and corn flour.
17. Mix well.
18. Bring the sauce to a boil while gently stirring it.
19. Remove and pour over the steamed egg and tofu.
20. Drizzle with sesame seed oil if you like.
21. Serve.

Note:

• If you would like to have stuffed clams in the egg custard like what I did, mix 50g minced pork with 50g finely chopped prawn with 1 egg white and 1/2 tablespoon Cornflour till paste-like. 
• Stuff some paste in the clams from step 1.  
• Place the clams (shells) in the egg mixture in step 8 before adding the clams in step 9.

Steamed Clams with Herb and Tomatoes 百里香和蕃茄蒸蛤蜊

My kids have recently learned how to enjoy clams. My son loves the spicy clams. My daughter can't take spicy food so she has been bugging me to steam some clams for her.

I bought a kilogram clams and saved some to steam them with egg (recipe coming up soon) and used the rest to prepare this for my dinner.

However, the kids ate this up as well. =_=|||

Ingredients:

• 750kg Clams, washed and cleaned
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 3 tablespoon Sake
• 1/2 teaspoon Chicken Stock
• 150ml Water
• 2 sprig Thyme (I'm using Lemon Thyme from my Mini Garden)
• a handful Cherry Tomatoes, half (I'm using my homegrown Cherry Tomatoes ^^)

How to do it:

1. Prepare 2 layers of baking paper in an oven proof dish and set aside.
2. Heat wok and add oil.
3. Stir fry garlic till fragrant but not brown.
4. Add in wine, water and chicken stock.
5. Bring to a simmer.
6. Turn off fire and set aside.
7. Arrange clams in the baking paper.
8. Scatter around thyme and cherry tomatoes.
9. Pour the stock over the clams.
10. Gather the edge of the baking paper and loosely tie it.
11. Bake in a preheated oven at 240C for 12 mins or till clams are opened.
12. Discard any clams that remain closed.
13. If you want to cook it on stove top, wrap the piece of foil on the outer layer.
14. Cook it on a pan till clams are opened.
15. Season with salt if necessary.

Note:

• Add chopped onion and celery for better taste.
• Stir fry them after step 3 till they are softened and continue with the rest of the instructions.

I have cut down my Cherry Tomato Plant to grow new plants.
These were the last of my homegrown Cherry Tomatoes.

Spicy Miso Clams 辣味味噌炒蛤蜊

This got to be one my of favourite dish. I can eat this alone and once you start, you can't stop till they are all gone. :P

I usually cook it using my wok pan. However, this recipe here that I'm sharing is done using the Happy Call Pan.

It's harder to cook this way as you can't stir-fry it to get a good mix. I shake the pan instead, trying to get the clams to be coated well with the sauce. Definitely not as convenient compared to using the wok but it works.

Ingredients:

• 600g Clams, cleaned
• 3 Shallot, chopped
• 4 clove Garlic, chopped
• 2 fresh red chilli, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Miso
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Cooking Wine
• 1 tablespoon Oil
• Cornstarch mixture (thickener)

How to do it:

1. Soak clams in salted water for 20 mins to let it spit out the dirt.
2. Drain and set aside.
3. Mix miso, sugar and wine together and set aside.
4. Heat oil in wok.
5. Stir fry shallot, garlic and chilli till fragrant.
6. Add in clams.
7. Cover pan for 1/2 minute; shake pan.
8. Open pan and add in the miso mixture; shake pan to mix well.
9. Cover and continue cooking till all the clams are opened.
10. Discard those that did not open.
11. Gradually stir in cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce.
12. Serve.

Steamed Razor Clams 蒸蒜茸竹蛏

I did this dish sometime back using frozen razor clams I bought from the supermarket. It was really cheap, 500g a pack for under $9.00.

This is another quick and easy dish which I tweak a little from my Steamed Scallop recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 Razor Clams (I'm using frozen ones)
• 1-2 tablespoon Minced Garlic
• 20g Vermicelli, soaked to soften
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• A pinch of Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Chicken Powder
• 20ml Water
• 2 tablespoon Oil

How to do it:

1. Dab clams dry with kitchen paper.
2. Marinade clams with salt and sugar.
3. Place soften vermicelli in a dish.
4. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan and saute the garlic till fragrant but not brown.
5. Dish garlic with oil into a bowl.
6. Scatter 1/3 of the garlic on the vermicelli.
7. Place the clams on the vermicelli.
8. Mix chicken powder with water and pour over clams.
9. Top the clams with the remaining garlic.
10. Steam for 5-7 minutes or till done.
11. Drizzle garlic oil over and serve.

Note:

• Do not overcook the clams as it will become tough.
• As the clams do not produce as much liquid as Scallops does, during cooking, I have added water with chicken powder. This is done so that the vermicelli will be more flavourful.
• You can replace the water and chicken powder with chicken broth instead.
• The vermicelli is not garnish. It will absorb all the sauce that comes from the steaming. So don't waste it, have it together with the clams.

Clams in Miso 味噌炒蛤蜊

My original plan was to make spicy clams but realised I had some ingredients short. Hence, I decided to tweak the recipe a little.

I had some miso left. I save a little to use on this dish after using some of it to make miso soup my kids.


My husband  could tell I used miso and thought it tasted a little like fermented bean bean but like it anyway.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg Clams, cleaned and soaked in salted water for 20 mins
• 1 tablespoon Oil
• 2 tablespoon minced Garlic
• 1 tablespoon Miso
• 2 tablespoon Mirin or Chinese Cooking Wine
• 1 Red Chilli, de-seeded and chopped
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Corn Flour Mixture

How to do it:

1. Heat wok with oil and stir fry garlic and chilli till fragrant.
2. Add miso and sugar and contine to stir fry for another minute.
3. Dish everything out.
4. In the same wok, add in the clams and mirin.
5. Stir fry for about 5 minutes.
6. Add in the miso seasoning made earlier.
7. Stir fry and cook for 1 - 2 minutes.
8. Remove clams that did not open.
9. Thicken the sauce with corn flour mixture.
10. Dish and serve immediately.

Blanched Cockles with Garlic 蒜香伴氽烫血蚶

Blood Cockles. You either love it or hate it. Both me and my husband loves it. My son eats it too.

My father used to buy 5kg of cockles to make his famous chilled dark soy sauce cockles. Each time he made it, he will bring some over to him. I tried and tried but I just couldn't get the taste of cockles that my father made. He even bought the dark soy sauce to me once but still I just could get the right taste. His is still the best!

I had wanted to try my hands making my father's version of chilled cockles but realised I didn't have dark soy sauce with me. So change of plans. :P

This is (another) replica of what we have tried at Putien Restaurant sometime back. I shall try to conquer my father's revision another time.

* Giving the cockles a good 'body' scrub. Hate doing it but it's all worth it. *

Ingredients:

• 350g Cockles
• 1 Red Chilli, de-seeded and chopped finely
• 2 tablespoon Minced Garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon Cooking Oil
• 1/2 tablespoon Mirin or Chinese Cooking Wine
• 1/2  tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• Chicken Powder or Salt to taste

How to do it:

1. Prepare the garlic first by heat oil in pan.
2. Add in chilli and Garlic and stir-fry till fragrant but not browned.
3. Add in Mirin, Light Soy Sauce and Chicken Powder. If you are using Chinese Cooking Wine, add a pinch of sugar too.
   
4. Stir to coat well.
5. Let the seasoned garlic cool.
6. Now, scrub the cockles clean. I used a toothbrush here.
7. Soak clams in salted water to let it 'spit' out sand.
8. Boil a pot of water enough to cover the cockles.
9. When the water is boiling, turn off fire and throw in all the cockles.
10. Drain them out in 3 seconds. *1
11. Place them in cool water or normal tap water and drain so it's not too hot to handle. *2
12. Remove half the shell and any dirt that maybe be there.
13. Place some seasoned garlic on each cockles and place then on a dish.
14. Chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes. *3

Note:

• I blanched then for 3 seconds here. If the cockles you bought are bigger or if you preferred them more cooked, ie, less bloody, blanch for 5-7 seconds. Anything longer than that, it's likely that will be cooked. *1
• Cool the blanched cockles partially is to stop it from continue cooking and also to make it less hot to while removing the shells. *2
• The cockles taste better when chilled but if you can't wait, go ahead to have it immediately. *2

Steamed Egg Custard with Clams 蛤蜊蒸蛋

I bought a kilogram of clams today to cook spicy clams.I decided to set aside 6 of them to steam them with eggs.

The clams I bought were rather big hence I only used 6 for 2 eggs as I don't want the egg custard to be only full of the sweetness of the clams.

However, you may add more if your like.  You can even remove half empty shell and steam using with the shell with the clam only. I prefer to use the whole clam for easy picking. =)

Ingredients:

• 6 Clams
• 2 Eggs
• 160ml Stock
• a pinch Salt

How to do it:

1. Soak clams in salted water to let it 'spit' out sand.
2. Steam clams for 10 minutes or till are slightly opened.
3. Remove clams and reserve liquid.
4. Beat egg lightly in a bowl
5. Add water and liquid from clams together
6. Mix well.
7. Sieve the egg mixture for smoother result.
8. Pour egg mixture in a dish and place clams in it.
9. Cover dish with foil.
10. Steam till egg is set
11. Serve.

Note:

• Timing for steaming depends on how deep your dish is. I divided my egg mixture into 2 single portions and steamed them for 10 minutes.
• Don't steam the clams for too long as you will be steaming them again with the egg mixture. The clams will be over cooked and will not be tender if you do so.

Spicy Clams 辣炒蛤蜊

One of my all time favourite, clams 蛤蜊. We commonly called it "拉拉 (LaLa)" in hokkien here. And for this type of calms with lighter shells and prints on them, it's called "花拉 (HuaLa)". Cute eh?

Sometimes when my husband works late, he will have supper (yeah, he skip dinner) at some Zi-Char stall with his colleagues. He never fail to ta-bao clams or snails for me.

However, I find them too spicy, even after he told the cook to make it less spicy. Yeah, I don't sound like a Singaporean at all. Most of the Singaporeans I know can handle really spicy food. Hotter the better but not me. So what do I do? I drink jugs of water. :P Yeah, that how much I like them, even when they are too spicy for me. Put out the fire and continue eating. haha ...

So, it's easier to cook on my own and so much cheaper too. Plus I won't be bloated. :P


Ingredients:

• 600g Clams, cleaned
• 3 Shallot, chopped
• 4 clove Garlic, chopped
• 2 fresh red chilli, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon Fermented Soy Bean Paste
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Cooking Wine
• 1 tablespoon Oil
• Cornstarch mixture (thickener)

How to do it:

1. Heat oil in wok.
2. Stir fry shallot, garlic amd chilli till fragnant.
3. Add in clams.
4. Stir fry for 1/2 minute.
5. Add in fermented soy bean paste, sugar and wine.
6. Continue cooking till all the clams are opened.
7. Guadually add in cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce.
8. Serve.

Clams in White Wine

I cooked this sometime back just for myself because no one at home like clams. Well, not when it's cooked this way. They preferred it this way. I don't really enjoy eating alone. It makes food seems boring.

Anyway, I just have the plate of cooked clams in front of me, pick out all the shells, then have it with a bowl of rice. The sauce is sweet and I like it with rice. I like it more if I have someone to enjoy this with. *wink*
Ingredients:

• 500g Soft Shell Clams, soaked in salted water for them to ‘split out’ the sand and brushed to clean the dirt on the shells
• 4 glove Garlic , sliced
• 4 tablespoon White Wine
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 bunch Basil Leaves
• Salt to taste

How to do it:

1. Heat wok with oil.
2. Add in garlic and stir fry till fragrant.
3. Add in the clams
4. Stir fry till the clams have open. Throw away those which are not open (Do not force open. They are probably bad)
5. Add in the wine and simmer till cooked.
6. Throw in the basil leave and salt to taste.
7. Stir fry for another 10 seconds.
8. Dish and serve.

Note:
Try soaking them in 3 tablespoon of wine (Chinese cooking wine or white wine) after the clams are cleaned for half an hour. Mix around once a while, so every clams can get drunk. hehe ... Taste better.

• Click HERE for printer-friendly version of an original recipe.

Chilli Soft Shell Clams

I love Chilli Crabs but after I knew about the fatal accident of a man whose finger got a snipped by a crab, I stop cooking it. I don't want my arm to get amputated then still die. Too scary!

So, instead of having Chilli Crabs, I settled for Chilli other seafood *bleh* using the same method I did for Crabs. I used Soft Shell Clams here. It's nothing compared to Crabs but it will do. Well, at least it helped curb my cravings.

Ingredients:

• 700g Soft Shells Clams, soaked in salted water for them to ‘split out’ the sand and brushed to clean the dirt on the shells
• 1 teaspoon Apple Cedar or White Vinegar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Salt to taste
• Cornflour Mixture (thickener)
• 3 tablespoon Oil

Pound or grind coarsely:

• 5 Fresh Red Chillies
• 5 Dried Chillies, soaked to soften
• 5 clove Garlic
• 2 tablespoon Dried Shrimp, soaked to soften

Sauce:

• 3 tablespoon Tomato Sauce
• 2 tablespoon Chilli Sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon Sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon Fermented Soya Bean Paste

How to do it:

1. Heat oil in a wok and stir fry the grind ingredients till fragrant.
2. Add in clams.
3. Stir fry till the clams open up.
4. Add in the sauce and stir well.
5. Cover and simmer over high heat for 5 minutes or till cooked.
6. Add vinegar and add salt to taste.
7. Gradually stir in cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce.
8. Add in egg while stirring slowing.
9. Dish and serve immediately.

Note:

• This is my recipe of Chilli Crabs but it works for prawns and crayfish too!
• Add more chilli if you prefer it more spicy.

Soft-shell Clams in Spicy Tomato Sauce 大头炒辣茄汁

I love to eat cockles, clams, mussels, etc. I only cook them once a while because my family doesn’t really enjoy it. I have been having this craving for soft-shell clams lately. Every time I pass by this stall (the only stall) in the wet market selling clams, I would quickly walk pass it to stop myself for having a second look. Last Friday, I couldn’t resist the temptation and bought home 1 kg. We had it as supper.

Ingredients:

• Soft-shell clams, soaked in salted water for them to ‘split out’ the sand and brushed to clean the dirt on the shells
• 1 tomato, diced
• 3 tablespoon tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon chilli sauce (I use Hommaid Brand - Nyonya Crispy Prawn Chilli Sauce)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon cooking wine
• 1 egg
• Salt for tasting
• Oil for frying
• Corn flour with water (thickener)

How to do it:

1. In a pot, stir-fry garlic in oil till fragrant.
2. Add in the clams and stir fry till the shells open.
3. Add in tomato, tomato sauce, chilli sauce and cooking wine.
4. Let it simmer for about 7 minutes or till the clams are cooked.
5. Add salt for tasting.
6. Slowly stir-in the corn flour mixture.
7. Now stir-in the beaten egg.
8. Serve.

Note:
You might like to add more chilli if you are using sweet chilli sauce like Maggi Brand. I didn’t add water because you will get quite a bit of sauce when you stir-fry the clams. So water isn’t necessary.