Steamed snail cake is a delicious steamed dish with a unique taste, and the method of making it is not too complicated. Today, let’s cook with TasteVN to learn 3 extremely simple ways to make steamed snail cake at home that anyone can do!
1. Steamed snail cake in banana leaves
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Preparation
40 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Steamed Snail Cake in Banana Leaves For 4 people
Stuffed snails 2 kg Processed pork 500 gr Ground meat 200 gr Dried shiitake mushrooms 10 pieces Wood ear mushrooms 2 pieces (large type) Lemongrass 10 stalks Ginger 1 piece Shallots 1 bulb Chili 2 pieces Fresh banana leaves 5 leaves Betel leaves 4 leaves Seasoning powder 1/2 tablespoon Green onions a little Fish sauce 1/2 tablespoon Common spices a little (MSG/ seasoning powder/ ground pepper)
Tools needed
Ingredient images
How to make Snail Cake steamed with banana leaves
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Prepare the ingredients
After purchasing the snails, soak them in a basin of water mixed with rice water or water with a few sliced chilies to help them expel all the dirt. Soak for about 5 hours, then rinse thoroughly with clean water several times, and place them in a basket to drain.
Soak shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms in two separate bowls in warm water for about 20 – 30 minutes until they soften. After soaking, rinse them clean and chop them finely.
For the green onions, trim off the roots and old leaves, then wash them clean. Rinse the betel leaves, then chop them finely along with the green onions.
Next, scrape the ginger’s skin clean, wash it, then pound half of it into a paste, and chop the other half into slices. Crush the shallots and chop them finely. Wash the lemongrass and finely chop 3 stalks, then crush the remaining 7 stalks and cut them into pieces. If you want to speed up the process, you can put the ginger, shallots, and lemongrass into a blender to mix thoroughly.
Rinse the banana leaves clean, drain them, and briefly blanch them in hot water to soften them for easy wrapping.
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Steaming and cutting the snails
After cleaning the snails, you put them in a steamer and steam for about 10 – 15 minutes with 3 crushed lemongrass stalks, 1/2 a sliced ginger root, and 2 chilies.
When the snails are slightly cooked, take them out, cut off the tails of the shells, and extract the snail meat, taking only the meat and discarding the belly part.
Next, cut the snail meat into small pieces. You can cut them into different sizes so that when eating, you have a crunchy and chewy texture.
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Mixing the filling
You place the cut snail meat into a large bowl, then add 500g of pork paste, 200g of minced meat, shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, ginger, and previously prepared dried onions.
Next, add 1 spoon of seasoning, 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of salt powder, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, and mix well. Let it sit for about 15 minutes for the snails to absorb the seasoning.
Finally, to speed up the wrapping process, place the mixed filling into a zip bag or a clean plastic bag and cut one corner at the bottom to easily squeeze out the snail filling.
Finished Product
Steamed snail cake wrapped in banana leaves, when cooked, has a fragrant aroma of banana leaves, lemongrass, and ginger. The cake has a sweet, delicate taste, with the chewy, crispy texture of the snail combined with the richness of the pork paste and minced meat, making the dish irresistible.
To enhance the flavor, you can dip the snail cake in lemongrass and calamansi fish sauce!
2. Steamed Snail Cake with Mushrooms
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Preparation
35 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Steamed Snail Cake with Mushrooms Serves 4
Stuffed Snails 1 kg Pork Paste 250 gr Minced Meat 100 gr Dried Shiitake Mushrooms 6 pieces Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms 10 pieces (1 pack) Wood Ear Mushrooms 1 piece (large type) Ginger 1 piece (small type) Lemongrass 10 stalks Shallots 1 bulb (small type) Chili 2 pieces Green Onions A little Betel Leaves 4 leaves Fish Sauce 1/2 tablespoon Seasoning Powder 1/2 tablespoon Common Spices A little (MSG/ seasoning granules/ ground pepper)
Preparation Tools
Ingredients Image
How to Make Steamed Snail Cake with Mushrooms
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Prepare the Ingredients
First, soak the snails in rice water or water with sliced chili peppers for about 3 hours to help the snails release slime and dirt. Then, rinse the snails thoroughly with clean water several times.
Soak the wood ear mushrooms and dried shiitake mushrooms in water for about 1 hour to allow the mushrooms to expand, then drain and rinse, and chop finely.
For fresh shiitake mushrooms, cut off the stems and wash them clean, then chop the stems into small pieces, and slice the caps lengthwise to cover the snails after stuffing.
For the betel leaves and green onions, remove any old or wilted leaves, then wash them clean, let them drain, and chop them finely.
Next, use a knife to scrape the skin off the ginger, wash it clean, then pound half of it into a paste, and finely chop the other half. Smash the shallots and chop them finely. Wash the lemongrass and finely chop 3 stalks, then smash the remaining 7 stalks and cut into sections. To save time, you can put the ginger, shallots, and lemongrass into a blender to puree.
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Steaming and Chopping Snails
After washing the snails clean and draining them, put the snails into a steaming pot and steam over high heat for about 5 – 10 minutes along with 2 chili peppers, 3 crushed lemongrass stalks, and 1/2 a ginger root sliced. This will release the fragrant aroma of the lemongrass and ginger while steaming, making the snails tastier.
Once the snails are lightly cooked, take them out, cut off the tails of the shells, and scrape out the snail meat, keeping only the meat and discarding the stomach, while keeping the shells to steam the cake.
Finally, chop the snails into small pieces. However, you can cut them a bit larger so that when eating, the cake has a crunchier texture.
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Mixing the snail filling
Next, you mix the cut snail meat with 250g of pork paste and 100g of ground meat in a large bowl, then add the prepared shiitake mushrooms, black fungus, ginger, and shallots.
Then, you season with 1 spoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of salt powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, then mix well. Let it sit for about 15 minutes for the snails to absorb the spices.
At the same time, prepare a ziplock bag or a clean plastic bag, then place this snail filling mixture into it so that when stuffing, you only need to cut a corner of the bag and squeeze the snail filling into the shells, making it easier and faster.
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Stuffing and steaming the snails
You put the snail filling into each shell, then use sliced shiitake mushrooms to cover the mouths of the snails.
Tip: You should stuff the filling into the shells with a moderate amount and pack it tightly!Next, you place the steamer pot on the stove and add a little water. Then, place the crushed lemongrass at the bottom of the steamer, and arrange the stuffed snails on top. Be careful to keep the open ends of the snails facing upwards!
Steam the stuffed snails over medium heat for about 15 – 20 minutes until cooked. Once the snails are cooked and fragrant, take them out and enjoy.
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Final Product
The stuffed steamed snails are fragrant with ginger, lemongrass, and pepper leaf, looking very appetizing. When eaten, they do not feel heavy due to the snails and mushrooms being chewy and crunchy, blending perfectly with the rich flavor of minced meat and sausage.
This dish will taste better when served hot and dipped in lemongrass and lime fish sauce; it is truly wonderful!
3. Stuffed steamed snails in bamboo tubes
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Preparation
25 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty Level
Easy
Ingredients for Steamed Snail Sausage in Bamboo Tubes Serves 4
Apple snails 500 gr Pork sausage 100 gr Shiitake mushrooms 100 gr Wood ear mushrooms 100 gr Young bamboo tubes 10 tubes Coconut milk 100 ml Tapioca flour 50 gr Vietnamese balm 30 gr Perilla leaves 30 gr Betel leaves 4 leaves Ginger leaves 4 sprigs Lemongrass 3 stalks (crushed) Kaffir lime leaves 5 leaves Fried shallots 50 gr Onion 1 bulb Ginger 1 bulb Chili 3 pieces Garlic 3 cloves Fish sauce a little Common spices a little (pepper/ sugar/ monosodium glutamate/ seasoning powder)
Tools Required
Ingredient Images
How to Make Steamed Snail Sausage in Bamboo Tubes
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Prepare and Boil the Snails
Soak the apple snails in rice water mixed with a little chili for about 2 hours before preparation to clean the snails and remove the fishy smell.
Next, add the snails, lime leaves, lemongrass, ginger, and chili into the pot. Then, season with 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and 1 teaspoon of fish sauce.
In the next step, add the coconut milk to the pot and boil the snails for about 5 – 10 minutes.
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Prepare other ingredients
Soak shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms for about 15 minutes.
Use a knife to cut shiitake mushrooms into diced shapes. Next, cut wood ear mushrooms into small thin strips.
Then, chop onions, chili, perilla leaves, betel leaves, and Vietnamese balm leaves.
Finally, use a knife to finely chop lime leaves and ginger leaves.
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Mix the filling
Put the raw sausage into a pot, then add 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, and 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate into the pot. After that, add 2 teaspoons of whole peppercorns into the raw sausage.
Next, add 30g of tapioca flour and 30g of fried shallots into the mixture. Then, season with 2 teaspoons of seasoning powder.
Finally, add the prepared herbs along with the chopped snails into the raw sausage pot, mixing the ingredients well with the seasoning.
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Stuffing and steaming in bamboo tubes
Stuff the mixed snail paste into each bamboo tube. Then place the bamboo tubes in a steamer and steam for about 10 minutes.
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Final product
After completing, arrange each stuffed bamboo tube on a plate. Thus, you have a unique dish of steamed snails in bamboo tubes, soft, fragrant, hot, crispy, and bursting with distinctive flavors, incredibly delicious.
How to choose fresh and delicious apple snails (stuffed snails)
- Fresh and delicious apple snails are those that are still alive. If you touch the snail’s operculum, they will immediately withdraw inside, and if the operculum closes tightly, that is a fresh and quality snail.
- You should choose snails with intact shells, not chipped, with a natural aroma. You should buy snails that are meaty, with the operculum positioned close to the outer edge to reveal a bit of meat inside.
- Avoid choosing snails that smell foul, feel very light when picked up, and float on the water surface as these are dead snails, which will have an unpleasant smell and can easily cause poisoning when eaten.
How to prepare snails without a fishy smell
- To prepare snails without a fishy smell and to clean out dirt and sand, after buying the snails, you should soak them in rice water for about 2 hours before cooking.
- Next, add a little chili powder or crushed chili into the soaking water for the snails. Alternatively, you can use vinegar mixed into the soaking water for the snails.
- Finally, you just need to take the snails out, wash them with clean water, and cook them normally.
How to choose fresh and delicious pork sausage
- To buy fresh and delicious pork sausage, you should choose the type that has been pre-made and carefully packaged. If the packaging has clear brand information and production address, then it is quality pork sausage.
- Fresh and delicious pork sausage should not have a foul smell, should not be slimy, and the packaging should not be torn or show signs of being tampered with or altered.
- Avoid buying pork sausage that has an unusual smell and is sold “openly” at markets as this type is prone to insect contamination and dust accumulation.
How to choose fresh and delicious ground pork
- Good quality pork will have a bright pink color, a dry surface, not slimy, and evenly structured meat fibers. You should choose firm pieces of pork that are resilient when pressed.
- Avoid buying pork that has an unpleasant odor, a purplish color, is slimy, and feels sticky to the touch, as this indicates the meat is no longer fresh.
- You can buy pre-ground pork at home. However, to ensure safety and quality, you should buy whole pieces of pork and ask the seller to grind it for you.
- Additionally, you can also grind it yourself using a meat grinder at home to ensure cleanliness during use.
How to choose delicious wood ear mushrooms
- Good quality wood ear mushrooms will have large, thick ears and few small mushrooms at the base.
- You should choose wood ear mushrooms that are dark amber in color, with a coffee milk color on the underside and a shiny surface on top.
- Avoid buying black wood ear mushrooms, as they are less crunchy and can easily become mushy when soaked in water.
How to choose dried shiitake mushrooms
- Fresh and good quality dried shiitake mushrooms will have the characteristic of being whole, not broken or crumbled. When held, they feel light, dry, and not sticky.
- You should choose mushrooms with a light brown cap, and when smelled, they have a light characteristic aroma.
- Avoid selecting mushrooms that have unusual white spots on the stems, show signs of dampness, or have unusual odors.
With a simple recipe and easily found ingredients, you can easily make one of the 3 ways to make steamed snail roll that are extremely attractive, delicious, and simple at home to treat the whole family. Wishing you success!
