🦪🌶️ Stir-fried clams with black bean and peppers - a popular Hong Kong-style food stall dish

Editor's Preface

Stir-fried clams with black beans and chili peppers are a classic favorite at Hong Kong's dai pai dongs and stir-fry shops. Spicy and flavorful, every bite is so delicious you'll want to eat it all! The sauce, featuring fermented black beans and chili peppers, is topped with purple onions and scallions, creating a vibrant and fragrant dish. We've broken down how to make the clams perfectly crisp, sand-free, and tender, giving you that restaurant-quality feel at home!

Ingredients preparation

• 500g fresh clams (sand clams/flower clams)

• 1.5 tablespoons fermented black beans (rinse with water and chop slightly)

• 1-2 chili peppers (cut into rings and adjust according to the spiciness)

• 3 cloves of garlic (sliced)

• 2 slices of ginger (shredded)

• Half a green and red bell pepper (shredded)

• Half an onion (cut into pieces)

• Appropriate amount of scallions

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

• 1 tablespoon wine (Shaoxing or rice wine)

• 50ml water or broth

• 2 tablespoons oil

• A small amount of pepper

• A few drops of sesame oil (add before removing from heat)

Detailed steps

1. Thoroughly soak clams in sand

• Clams are cooked in salt water (about 1% salt) or clean water with a little oil. They are placed in the refrigerator all day and the water is changed regularly to encourage the clams to spit out the sand.

• Rinse the clams several times before cooking and check for dead clams (those that do not have dead clams should be discarded).

🧄 2. Material pretreatment

• Rinse the fermented black beans with water for half a minute, drain and chop lightly.

• Chop all the green and red peppers, chili peppers, onions, garlic, and ginger for quick stir-frying.

🍳 3. Quick stir-fry seasoning

• Heat oil over high heat and sauté garlic slices, ginger shreds, and fermented black beans until fragrant.

• Add chili peppers, scallion segments, half an onion, and shredded green and red peppers and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

🍲 4. Stir-fry clams and make sauce

• Remove the clams immediately and stir-fry until the water comes out.

• Pour in light soy sauce, sugar and 1 tablespoon of wine (to enhance the flavor and remove the fishy smell), and stir quickly to combine.

• Add water/broth, cover and steam for about 1-2 minutes, until the clams open.

• If you want a stronger flavor, you can add a little oyster sauce or broad bean paste to enhance the flavor.

🥢 5. Thicken the sauce and serve

• If there is too much juice, add half a teaspoon of cornstarch to thicken it.

• Add a little sesame oil before turning off the heat to enhance the flavor.

• Immediately serve the dish with the sauce and other ingredients, garnished with chopped green onions, for a delicious and fragrant dish.

Editor's Tips

• It is necessary to soak the sand. It is better to spend more time soaking the clams than to ask them to be rinsed.

• Stir-fry quickly over high heat throughout the process, and turn off the heat as soon as the clams open. If you cook them too long, they will shrink and become tough.

• The fermented black beans do not need to be chopped too finely. When cooked, each piece is coated with the sauce to give it a nice texture.

• If you like it more flavorful, you can add slices of tofu and stir-fry them to make them absorb the juice better.

• If you want spicy food, buy an extra chili padi. ​​If you don't like spicy food, you can save it.

Eating experience 😋

Each clam is fresh and smooth, coated in a spicy fermented black bean sauce that leaves a lasting impression! The sauce goes really well with rice or noodles, and it's a favorite among both adults and children.

summary

Stir-fried clams with black bean peppers is a common dish eaten out, but it's actually quite easy to make at home. Just crank up the heat and let the wok sizzle to create an authentic Hong Kong-style stir-fry, perfect for hosting a party with friends! 🦪🌶️🍲 If you're looking for variations like stir-fried conch with black bean peppers or stir-fried clams, feel free to ask our editor for a quick recipe!