Kam Heong Clams

4.75 from 8 votes

Malaysian kam heong clams are a must-try for seafood lovers. In my kam heong clams recipe, the clams are cooked with a delicious mix of garlic, sambal, and curry leaves, making them incredibly flavorful and uniquely delicious.

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Total Time30

Course: Clams

Cuisine: Malaysian Recipes

Keyword: Kam Heong Clams

Servings: people

Author: Bee Yinn Low

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs (700g) Manila clams
3 tablespoons oil
3 - 4 cloves garlic minced
2 1/2 tablespoons sambal
1 tablespoon dried shrimp soaked in water, drained and minced
1 fresh red chili sliced
2 Thai chilies bird's eye chilies, smashed
1/4 cup curry leaves stems removed
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
1 teaspoon meat or seafood curry powder optional

Instructions

After rinsing the clams and soaking them in salted water for 20-30 minutes, scrub the shells gently with your hands or a brush. Rinse them thoroughly under cold running water, and make sure to discard any cracked or damaged clams before cooking.
Heat oil in a wok. Add garlic and stir fry until aromatic (but not browned), then add the sambal, dried shrimp, chilies, curry leaves, and curry powder (if using). Continue to cook until fragrant.
Add the clams and stir to combine them well with the other ingredients. Then add the oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce, sugar, and Shaoxing wine. Cover the wok and let the clams cook until they open.
Remove the wok cover, give the clams a quick stir, then dish them out and serve immediately with steamed white rice.

Video

Notes

These days, most hot stir-fry stalls (choo char/tze char) in Malaysia adds curry powder to the kam heong sauce. The ingredient is optional, you may add or skip curry powder in the sauce.
Make sure to use fresh clams for the best taste. Soak them in salt water for about 20 minutes to get rid of any sand.
Use high heat to stir fry the ingredients quickly. This helps keep the flavors and textures just right.
Don’t burn the garlic, sambal, dried shrimp, and curry leaves mixture. Stir fry them until they smell aromatic.
Clams cook really fast. Once they open, they’re done. Overcooking can make them tough.
Toss any clams that didn’t open after cooking. They might not be safe to eat.

Nutrition