The broth is rich and sweet from clams combined with the spicy taste of chili, served with fresh and cool vegetables. All of this creates a delicious clam hotpot that you should try today. Join TasteVN in the kitchen and make 2 ways to cook clam hotpot with water spinach and spicy sour clam hotpot!
1. Clam Hotpot with Water Spinach
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Clam Hotpot with Water Spinach Serves 3
Clams 2 kg Water spinach 200 gr Lemongrass 2 stalks Chili 1 piece Garlic 2 cloves Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Curry powder 2 tablespoons Common seasonings a little (sugar/seasoning powder/salt)
How to Choose Fresh Water Spinach
- Choose water spinach that is dark green, about the size of a chopstick, with small and slightly firm tips. When buying, break a stem and if it snaps, it is fresh.
- Moreover, the best water spinach is in season from April to June. Because it is grown in favorable conditions, farmers will not use too many chemicals.
- Avoid buying unusually large stems or those with an unnatural vibrant green color, as these might be grown out of season or treated with growth hormones.
How to Prepare Clam and Water Spinach Hotpot
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Prepare the clams
After buying the clams, wash them thoroughly and place them in a bowl with enough water to cover them. Add 3 tablespoons of salt and soak for 30 – 60 minutes to allow the clams to expel sand and impurities.
Then, transfer the clams to a strainer and shake them gently to remove any remaining sand, then rinse thoroughly with water 1 – 2 more times.
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Prepare the other ingredients
For the water spinach, remove any wilted leaves and tough stems, then cut the spinach into pieces about 3 finger joints long. Soak the water spinach in salt for about 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with water and let it drain.
Peel and finely chop the garlic. Trim the outer tough layers of the lemongrass, wash it clean, and cut it into pieces about 3 finger joints long.
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Make the hotpot broth
You place a pot on the stove and sauté minced garlic with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium heat.
When the garlic starts to smell fragrant, add 2 tablespoons of curry powder and stir well for about 1 – 2 minutes, then pour in about 1.5 – 2 liters of filtered water into the pot.
You simmer over medium heat until the water in the pot boils, then season with 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and stir well. Next, you add the chopped lemongrass and cook for another 2 – 3 minutes.
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Cooking clams and water spinach with hot pot broth
When the hot pot broth is boiling, add the cleaned clams and cover the pot, cooking for about 7 – 10 minutes until the clams are cooked.
Then, open the lid, skim off any foam on the surface, and adjust the seasoning to taste.
When the water in the pot boils again, add the prepped water spinach and cook for 4 – 6 minutes until the greens are cooked and the clams have opened, and then you can enjoy it right away!
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Final product
So the clam hot pot with water spinach is complete.
The hot pot is fragrant with lemongrass and curry, combined with a delicious, sweet broth, served with tender and chewy clam meat, and crispy, fresh water spinach, which is wonderful.
Remember to enjoy this hot pot with fresh noodles and a bowl of spicy chili sauce, guaranteed to be so good you’ll forget the way home!
2. Spicy Sour Clam Hot Pot
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Spicy Sour Clam Hot Pot Serves 3
Clams 1 kg Fresh coconut 1 fruit (for water) Tomato 1 fruit Pineapple 1 fruit (take 1/4 of the fruit) Tamarind paste 1 tablespoon Lemongrass 2 stalks Chili pepper 1 fruit Garlic 2 cloves Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Salt a little
How to Choose Fresh Ingredients
How to choose fresh tomatoes
- You should choose tomatoes with intact skin, plump, and bright red color, evenly colored.
- You should choose tomatoes that have a mild characteristic aroma and the stem still firmly attached to the fruit.
- Do not choose tomatoes that feel light, not firm in hand, and the stem is easily detached from the fruit.
How to choose fresh pineapples
- You should choose pineapples that are slightly oval, short, and have eye-catching yellow color with some green spots.
- You should choose pineapples that have a characteristic sweet aroma and are moderately soft when touched.
- Do not choose pineapples that have a strong smell and feel indented when pressed.
How to make Spicy and Sour Clam Hot Pot
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Prepare clams
After buying the clams, wash them thoroughly once and then soak them in diluted salt water for 1 – 2 hours so that the clams expel all the sand and dirt!
After that, shake the clams well and wash them again with water, then let them drain.
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Prepare other ingredients
Wash the garlic, peel it, and chop it finely. Wash the chili, remove the stem, and slice it.
Wash the lemongrass and divide it into 2 parts: one part cut into pieces about 3 finger joints long, and the other part sliced.
For the tomatoes, wash them, remove the stem, and cut them into wedges. Peel the pineapple, wash it, and slice it.
For the tomatoes and pineapple, chop them finely or put them into a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth and thick like a sauce.
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Sautéed tomatoes and pineapple
You heat a pan on the stove and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil to the pan, heating it over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant and golden, then add chopped lemongrass and stir for another 2 – 3 minutes until the lemongrass releases its aroma.
Add the fragrant tomato sauce mixture along with 1 teaspoon of sugar, then stir the mixture for another 2 – 3 minutes before turning off the heat.
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Make the hotpot broth
Next, pour fresh coconut water into the pot used for cooking the hotpot, squeeze 1 tablespoon of tamarind through a strainer into the coconut water and press down with a spoon to extract the tamarind juice.
Then, add the sautéed tomato mixture into the coconut water and season with 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of MSG, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, stirring well and cooking on high heat.
When the hotpot broth starts to boil, skim off the foam, then add sliced lemongrass and half of the sliced chili peppers and cook for an additional 2 – 3 minutes.
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Cook clams with broth
When the broth is boiling vigorously, add the clams and stir gently, then add the remaining half of the sliced chili and cook for 5 – 7 minutes until the clams open.
At this point, remember to skim off any foam once more and adjust the seasoning to taste before serving.
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Final product
The sour and spicy clam hot pot is ready to serve you and your family!
The clam meat is sweet and fragrant, soaked in rich broth, with a perfect balance of sour and spicy. Grab some noodles into a bowl, pour in the broth, add a bit of basil for aroma, and enjoy; it’s irresistibly delicious.
How to choose good clams, correctly
- You should choose clams with a sturdy, intact shell that is not broken.
- Choose clams that are still closed, or if the clams are open, gently touch the shell; if they close up, then these clams are still fresh!
- Do not choose clams that can easily be pried open or have a bad smell, as these are dead or no longer fresh.
How to clean clams of sand
- Method 1: Soak clams in salt and chili: After washing the clams, put them in a bowl of diluted saltwater and add 3 – 4 slices of fresh chili. Soak the clams for 2 – 3 hours to let them expel all the sand and dirt.
- Method 2: Soak clams in salt and vinegar: After washing the clams, soak them in diluted saltwater for 2 hours until they expel all the sand and dirt. Next, boil the clams in a pot of water with a bit of vinegar and stir gently to thoroughly clean the remaining sand inside the clams.
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Hope that with the 2 recipes for cooking clam hotpot that TasteVN has just shared, you will be able to cook a delicious, steaming pot of hotpot for the whole family on weekends! Wishing you success.
