Drunken Clams

If you are a regular reader of Rasa Malaysia, you should know by now that I love seafood, especially clams.

While I like most of my foods with layers upon layers of complicated flavors or explosively spicy, sometimes I like things simple but intoxicating, such as the Drunken Clams dish above.

Now, I need to explain the cooking technique generally referred to as “Drunken / 醉.” By “Drunken,” it didn’t mean that I “fed” these clams with copious amount of booze (no, it’s not like Kobe beef!)–“Drunken” is a popular Chinese cooking technique where the main ingredient is steeped in generous amount of wine during the cooking process.

I used Manila Clams for this dish; as you can see, they were big, fleshy, and absolutely succulent. This is what I call 下酒菜, meaning a dish that goes very well with alcohol. Put simply, it’s a recipe for good times.

So, make sure you have Drunken Clams for your next late night get-together or casual hangout. And don’t forget that keg of cold beer plus a game or two of Poker.

How Many Calories per Serving?

This recipe is only 99 calories per serving.

What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?

For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

Chinese Fried Rice

Bean Sprouts with Tofu

Drunken Noodles

Fried Fish with Soy Sauce

Yield: 4 people

Drunken Clams

Print

Drenched in Chinese cooking wine, these Manila Clams were bursting with natural sweetness of shellfish and oozed the rich aroma and fragrance of wine.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb. (0.45 kg) Manila Clams
• 2 inches (5 cm) fresh ginger, cut into thin strips
• 2 stalks scallion, julienned
• 1 cup or 2 cups of Chinese cooking wine, rice wine or Shaoxing wine preferred
• salt to taste
• 1 dash white pepper powder
• 1 dash sesame oil

Instructions

1. Heat up a claypot or wok with some oil. Stir fry the fresh ginger until they turn light brown. Add in the clams, Chinese cooking wine and cover the claypot or wok for 3 minutes. Open the cover, add in the scallions and have a quick stir. Then, add in a dash of sesame oil, white pepper powder, and salt to taste. Cover the claypot or wok for another 1 or 2 minutes or until all shells are opened. Serve hot.

Notes

If you like your dish extra intoxicating and your clams really drunken , go ahead and use 2 cups of cooking wine!
To make the clams even better, add in a teaspoon of Japanese Mirin (sweet seasoning cooking sake).

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

4 people
Amount Per Serving Calories 99Unsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 5mgSodium 104mgCarbohydrates 4gProtein 2g