Have you ever heard of the unique clam noodles, or the spicy satay shrimp noodles that are so appealing? Let’s go into the kitchen and learn 2 recipes to make this delicious noodle dish to diversify your family meals!
1. Clam Noodles
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Processing
1 hour
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Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients for Clam Noodles For 3 people
Live clams 1 kg Roasted peanuts 100 gr Bean sprouts 200 gr Cucumber 1 piece Lettuce 200 gr Lemon 1 piece Garlic 1 bulb Lemongrass 1 stalk Shallots 3 bulbs Satay 150 gr Salt 1 teaspoon Vinegar 1 tablespoon Sugar 2 tablespoons Fish sauce 3 tablespoons
How to Prepare Bun Hen
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Prepare the clams
Soak the clams in rice water or water with 1 – 2 chili peppers added, soak for about 2 – 3 hours for the clams to release dirt.
Put the clams in a pot to boil for about 15 – 20 minutes until they are cooked, then separate the clams.
Place the clams in a small basin, add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and gently massage the mixture with your hands to ensure the salt and vinegar cover all the clams, then rinse thoroughly with water. The salt and vinegar will help remove the fishy smell and clean the sand from the clams.
Tip for quickly separating clam meat while preserving quality:
When the water is boiling steadily, add the clams. Use a pair of chopsticks or a ladle to gently stir so that the clam shells open, and the clam meat will float to the surface. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the clam meat, discarding the shells separately. Continue until all the prepared clams are done.
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Make the dipping sauce for bun
Peel and finely chop the garlic. Wash the shallots, peel, and finely chop.
Clean the ginger, peel, and then cut half of it into thin strips. Wash the lemongrass, smash it, and finely chop.
Wash and soak the bean sprouts, cucumbers, and various herbs in saltwater for about 15 minutes, rinse thoroughly with water, then drain, and chop the lettuce and cucumber into small pieces.
Chop the ginger into a mortar, add 1 chili pepper, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and pound them together.
Squeeze the juice from 1 lime, add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, and stir well until the sugar dissolves. Add another 3 tablespoons of water to adjust the fish sauce to taste.
Small tip: Depending on the saltiness of the fish sauce you are using and your family’s taste, adjust the fish sauce, lime, sugar, and water for the dipping sauce to your liking.
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Sautéing clams
Place a pan on the stove, turn on high heat to heat the pan, add about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, add minced lemongrass to the pan, stir-fry until fragrant.
When the lemongrass is fragrant, add garlic, ginger sliced into strips, and minced shallots to the pan, and stir well for aroma.
When the ingredients in the pan are golden and aromatic, add the clams and stir-fry on high heat to prevent them from releasing water.
Season the ingredients: 1/3 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 1/4 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate, 1/5 tablespoon of salt, 1/3 tablespoon of sugar, add 1/3 tablespoon of oyster sauce, and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce.
Stir well to ensure the clams absorb the seasoning. Add 2 tablespoons of chili paste, stir well again to give the clams a beautiful color.
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Arranging bun hen
Place the bun in a bowl, add bean sprouts, various herbs, and Vietnamese coriander, then top with the clams, sprinkle a little peanut for an enhanced dish.
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Final product
Bun hen served with the sweet and sour fish sauce prepared above is truly appetizing. If you have crispy rice crackers to enjoy with bun hen, it would be a perfect combination.
2. Saté Shrimp Noodles
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour 30 minutes
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Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients for Saté Shrimp Noodles Serves 3 people
Pork bones 300 gr White radish 200 gr Onion 100 gr Saté shrimp 150 gr Green onions 5 stalks Cilantro 1 sprig Lemon 1 piece Chili 1 piece Shrimp 400 gr Fresh noodles 1 kg Celery 100 gr Fresh vegetables for serving 1 kg Rock sugar 20 gr Salt 2 teaspoons Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Seasoning powder 1 tablespoon
How to cook Saté Shrimp Noodles
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Make the broth
Wash the bones clean, rinse with vinegar and salt to eliminate any odor, then drain.
Peel the kohlrabi, cut into bite-sized pieces, and peel the onion, rinsing it well.
Add cold water to a 2.5-liter pressure cooker, add the bones, kohlrabi, and 1/2 of the onion, cook over medium heat, waiting for the water to boil, skimming off any foam that appears.
Season the broth with 1 teaspoon of salt and 20g of rock sugar.
Cover the pot, simmer for about 20 minutes on low heat to extract the sweetness from the bones.
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Prepare other ingredients
Toast the rice paper: Place the rice paper in the microwave, toasting each side for about 30 seconds, then flip it, turning it over about 3 times until it becomes crispy.
Wash the cilantro and chop it finely. Slice the chili peppers and quarter the lemon.
Wash all types of fresh herbs and let them drain.
Cut the green onions lengthwise, soak them in cold water, then wash them to reduce the sharpness.
Cut the celery lengthwise, soak in water to reduce the bitterness, then wash and let drain, blanch the onions and celery in boiling water for about 2 – 3 minutes until slightly cooked.
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Stir-fry shrimp
Put a pot on the stove, heat the pot over medium heat until hot, add minced garlic and minced shallots to the pot and sauté until fragrant, then add the shrimp and stir-fry over high heat.
Season with 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt, stir quickly for even mixing and stir-fry over high heat to prevent the shrimp from releasing water, turn off the heat and add 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce, stir well, no need to cook the shrimp thoroughly.
Wait for the shrimp to cool, then peel the shrimp, keeping the shells separately to make broth.
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Cooking the broth
After simmering, remove all the bones, kohlrabi, and onions. Add the peeled shrimp shells into the pot for simmering.
Cover the pot and simmer for another 15 – 20 minutes over medium heat so that the shrimp shells release their sweet flavor.
Once cooked, strain the broth to make it clear and discard the shrimp shells.
Place the pot on the stove and continue to simmer over low heat to keep the broth warm.
Add about 1 – 2 tablespoons of shrimp paste, 1/3 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt, and adjust the seasoning to taste.
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Arranging shrimp paste noodles
Place the noodles in a bowl, add fresh herbs, blanched vegetables, arrange the blanched shrimp on top, and then pour hot broth over it. Add a bit of shrimp paste, fried onions, chopped scallions, and a little pepper for aroma.
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Final Product
Delicious satay shrimp noodles with the sweetness of shrimp, the light spiciness of satay, the crunchy freshness of herbs, and the rich taste of rice crackers. Just hearing about it already sounds really tempting, doesn’t it?
Tips for successful execution
How to choose delicious clams
- To prevent poisoning, you should not buy dead clams. The best way to check is to touch the shell; if the clam is alive, the shell will gradually close. Additionally, pay attention to the smell of the clam. Fresh clams usually do not have a strong or fishy odor.
- You should not choose clams with scratched, broken, damaged, or crushed shells, as these are more likely to be contaminated with bacteria that are harmful to health.
- You should not buy frozen clams or those packed in plastic bags, as they are often not fresh anymore or have been treated with chemicals.
How to select fresh shrimp
- If buying frozen shrimp, you must choose shrimp that still have all their parts, feel firm to the touch, and have a natural elasticity (to avoid buying shrimp that have been injected with a gel to increase weight) and, especially, have no fishy or rotten smell.
- Choose live shrimp to ensure freshness; the shell should be shiny, the shrimp should look robust, and when squeezed, it should have elasticity, with the shell not being too soft.
- A small tip: Unless you are in a coastal area with fresh seafood available, when buying shrimp, you should pay attention to how much ice the seller uses for preservation. If the shrimp are preserved with little ice and still look fresh and soft, they are definitely treated with borax or urea.
How to clean clams
- When preparing, soak the clams in rice water or cold water with a few chopped chili peppers or a few drops of rice vinegar for a few hours to let them expel all the mud.
- After boiling the clams and separating the meat, place the clams in a large bowl or clean basin, add 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of vinegar, mix well, then rinse with water to eliminate the fishy smell and remove any sand inside the clams.
See more:
Snails and shrimp noodles are new, delicious, and really easy to make, aren’t they? Let’s head to the kitchen and cook this delicious dish for your family. Wishing you success!
*Refer to the images and recipes from 2 YouTube channels Bếp Của Vợ and Vành Khuyên Lê.
