Another lala recipe? Forgive me but I am quite a fan of lala clams and since the lala clams were looking really fresh in the wet market, I couldn’t resist getting my hands on 1 kg of these sweet tasting clams. Initially, I had wanted to whip up a kamheong lala dish but later realised that I’d forgotten to get two of the essential kamheong lala ingredients : curry powder and curry leaves. Without those two ingredients, kamheong lala just won’t be kamheong lala. I’ll kamheong another day then.
Thankfully, as I rummaged through my kitchen, I found some lemongrass and ginger as well as freshly grown bird’s eye chillis. Mum recently moved to my old apartment and I am now babysitting two of her prized bird’s eye chilli plants. In case you are still wondering what is bird’s eye chilli, it is also known as cili padi – probably the hottest local chilli available in this region.
This recipe uses simple but aromatic ingredients which help to lend the dish a sweet and fragrant taste whilst masking any potential “fishy” smell – which is unlikely unless your lala clams are not fresh. Read this post to find out how to prepare lala clams before cooking. Now, though this recipe looks like a stirfry dish, with a little bit of imagination, you can turn this into a sweat inducing and appetising soup. Just add more of the ingredients and water
This is my recipe for Stir Fried Lala with LemonGrass and Bird’s Eye Chilli
Ingredients
- 1 kg lala clams (rinsed and washed thoroughly to remove mud, sand and grime)
- 2 stalks lemongrass (hammered with the flat side of a knife to bruise it)
- 5 cm of ginger (slivered)
- 3 shallots (chopped finely)
- 4 to 10 bird’s eye chilli / cili padi (cut lengthwise, remove seeds to reduce hotness)
- 1/2 to 1 cup hot water
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
Seasoning
- Salt to taste
Method
Heat oil in wok. Add shallots, ginger, lemongrass and bird’s eye chilli. Stir briskly until shallots just starts to brown.
Add lala clams and stir well. Add 1/2 to 1 cup water and close the lid of the wok allowing water to reboil. Stir occasionally until lala clams open up.
Add salt to taste and dish up. Do not overcook the lala clams or they will turn rubbery.
Serve hot with steamed rice.
source: http://www.deliciousasianfood.com