Friday, January 29, 2016

Wok Wednesdays | Stir-Fried Clams with Spicy Bean Sauce

WW wokking thru Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge
by Grace Young




The hubby had no problem polishing these off; this after him saying, clams? with no excitement whatsoever, when I mentioned to him all I had left to do was wash the clams before I started stir-frying (he's not much of a fan of shellfish). To my credit, I did ask him beforehand, like a week before, if he was good with clams for our next WW meal - his answer, if you are making them.

 Mise en place.

Bowl 1: Shallots, ginger, garlic
Bowl 2: Clams
Bowl 3: Thai red pepper
Bowl 4: Chicken broth, bean sauce, soy sauce
Bowl 5: Scallions

 Four of the clams had cracks - so I tossed them; just to be safe.

Nature's art.




Super easy weeknight meal!! I served this with a spinach salad and French bread. The clams would go nicely served over pasta as well, as a couple of our members did. To see how beautiful the clams look nestled amongst a swirl of linguine, check out Lisette's photo on the WW Facebook page.

This took no time at all to get on the table. This of course depends on your clams. Audrey, another member tells me, if you have access to really fresh clams, like harvesting them yourself, or from a clam fishery, you may need to soak them in cold water for about an hour for them to release their sand. For me, I purchased them at our local higher-end market, which meant they probably had been sitting around, and soaking long enough to expel most of their sand before I purchased them. I had very little residue after rinsing and brushing - and no grit at all while eating them.

If you Google how to prepare clams, some sites say to soak the clams in salted water - probably not the best idea, for clams can be salty on their own, and this recipe calls for bean sauce, which has a fair amount of salt. I felt this stir-fry was a bit too briny, though Andy thought it was fine, and there were no complaints from other members in regards to it being too salty.

A couple of other Wok Wednesday members recommend soaking the clams in water with cornmeal of all things; and Grace even mentions in the book, that old-fashioned Chinese cooks swear by placing a carbon-steel cleaver in the bowl with the clams, this being the best way to clean them.



We have been asked not to post the recipes here on our blog. If you would like the recipe, you will find it on page 169, of  Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, which you can purchase at your local bookstore or find it at your local library.    

The recipe is also available here; however, I highly recommend purchasing the book - you won't be disappointed.


 



 

8 comments:

  1. Cathy, You've outdone yourself! This is 5 star food photography! So glad this passed the hubby test!

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  2. Your dish looks so wonderful! Loved your post and thank you for the mention of my photo on the Wok Wednesdays Facebook page! :)

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    1. Thank you, Lisette. I can't stop thinking of your photo - look up appetizing in the dictionary, and it should be your photo along with the description!

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  3. This looks fabulous. I was kind of waiting for your post! =) I love the idea of having it with French bread. As always, your photos are fantastic and so make me want to make this!

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    1. Thanks, Karen! So looking forward to your post on this recipe.

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  4. I love clams and this simple stir-fry is perfection. The brinier the better for me. GREG

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  5. This is so simple - I love it! In New England, we always soaked clams with oatmeal, so cornmeal makes sense, too.

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