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Ingredients:
24 clams, about 3 pounds
3 tablespoons peanut or corn oil
4 or 5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
1/2-inch fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped fine
4 or 5 scallions, cut into 1-inch sections, white and green parts separated
1-1/2 tablespoons fermented black beans, rinsed, mashed with 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons Shaohsing wine or medium-dry sherry
1 tablespoon thick soy sauce
3 tablespoons clear stock or water
1 teaspoon potato flour, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
sesame oil to taste (optional)
Directions:
Leave the clams in water with a little salt until ready to use. Scrub the shells thoroughly.
Heat a wok over high heat until smoke rises. Add the oil and swirl it around. Add the garlic, ginger and white scallions. Stir and let them sizzle for a few moments to release their aroma. Add the mashed black beans and stir to mix. Tip in the clams. Sliding the wok scoop or metal spatula to the bottom of the wok, turn and toss for 30 to 45 seconds. Splash in the wine or sherry around the side of the wok, continuing to turn and stir. When the sizzling dies down, add the soy sauce and stock or water. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat to medium and cook for about 8 minutes.
Transfer the opened clams with a pair of chopsticks or tongs to a warm serving platter and keep warm. Stir and turn the remainder a few times and cook, covered, for another 4 to 5 minutes, so that they will open. Transfer the rest to the serving platter, leaving the sauce in the wok. Discard any clams that do not open.
Lower the heat, add the well-stirred potato flour to the sauce, stirring as it thickens. Tip in the green scallions.
Scoop the sauce over the clams and serve immediately. Sesame oil may be sprinkled on if desired.
Servings: Serves four to six.
From Yan-Kit's Classic Chinese Cookbook (1998); published by Dorling Kindersley
More Hong Kong Recipes:
- Hong Kong Recipe: Flowering Cabbage with Oyster Sauce
- Hong Kong Recipe: Steamed Whole Fish with Ginger and Spring Onion
