Yen Can Cook: Lala in Bean Paste Sauce
Still remember I posted a recipe of Spaghetti Alle Vongole quite some time ago? That time Sam still couldn’t accept this “weird” looking sea creature but recently she’s so into Lala (clams) that she requested for it every time we dined out. (at Dai Chow restaurants) But is Lala clams a type of seasonal seafood (anyone can enlighten me?) as sometimes we couldn’t get it because the restaurant had no Lala to serve. So when I saw Lala clams being sold in night market, I quickly grabbed a packet. The price was rather cheap, RM10 or RM12 only for a big packet.
The Lala clams I got this time is different with the previous one with thinner shell and in oblong shape, but the taste is same nonetheless. Today’s I’m going to share a rather simple recipe (as usual :P) which is extremely quick, easy and delicious seafood dish you can whip up anytime at home. Here we go!
Ingredients (Serve: 2-3)
1kg clams (Lala)
1 tablespoon bean paste (Tauchu) – spicy/non-spicy
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 inch of ginger, shredded
1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
A dash of white pepper
Cooking oil
Optional: 2 red chili & spring onion, sliced
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Step 1: Rinse the clams in running water, and scrub if necessary. Put them into a large bowl with and cover with water. Add in salt generously and leave for a couple of hours, then drain and rinse well to remove any grit or sand.
Step 2: Heat up the cooking oil in a wok, saute the bean paste, garlic, shallot and ginger until aromatic.
Step 3: Add in clams and stir fry until blend well with the bean paste mixture (Step 2). Add in water, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar, continue to cook until fragrant.
Step 4: Pour in Chinese cooking wine around the edge of the wok, (add in optional ingredients of chili & spring onion), cook for another few seconds.
Step 5: Add a dash of pepper, serve.
Please take note that remove the clams from the heat immediately as soon as the shell opens up. If the clams don’t open up, they are probably bad and should be discarded.
HAPPY COOKING!
My wife and I love to eat Lala. She is allergic to almost all the seafood except fish and lala! Isn’t that strange??
TM, Fish generally not as “poison” as other seafood such as prawns and crabs 😛 Luckily she still can eat Lala 🙂
Sam must be very happy that you cooked her favorite lala!
PH, yes, she dug in happily that day but recently she’s craving Lala again >_<
I’m not sure if la-la is seasonal but restaurants won’t offer it as sometimes the supply is not fresh I think. I prefer this type of lala as there’s more meat compared to the other type where the shells are heavy (and cost more because of that). I’ve never dared cook lala at home as I’m afraid the ones I buy aren’t fresh enough.
Kris, I think the supply depends on the sea/river conditions too 😛 I got mine from night market (twice) and the seller told me we can keep it in freezer for 1 week but I will try to cook it as soon as possible to savour the freshest quality 🙂
looks like a good dish for a rainy day like today! 🙂
Sean, I’m thinking another Lala dish during rainy day, the Shiong Tong Lala (Lala in superior soup) ^__*