How to Cook Delicious and Simple Clam Porridge Without a Fishy Taste

How to prepare Clam Porridge

• 1

  Prepare the ingredients

  First, with 3kg of clams you bought, place them in a basin of cold water along with 3 chopped chili peppers and the juice of 1 lemon, and soak for about 3 – 4 hours.

  Once the clams have expelled all the sand, use a brush or a stainless steel scrub pad to scrub the entire surface of the clam shells, then rinse them a few times with water to clean.

  Next, place a pot on the stove with 300ml of water and all the prepared clams, boil for about 10 – 13 minutes over medium heat. When the clams have opened, turn off the stove, let them cool for about 5 minutes, then use your hands to separate the shells, taking only the meat for further preparation.

  At the same time, remove the clam’s digestive sac, then place it in the basin with 3 tablespoons of salt, mix well by hand for 3 minutes, then rinse again with clean water and drain. Depending on the size of the clams, use a knife to cut the clams into bite-sized pieces.

  Wash the glutinous rice and regular rice, then place them in a bowl to soak with 300ml of water for 4 – 5 hours. When the rice is soft, drain the water, let it dry, then put it in a mortar and use a pestle to pound it, not needing to be too fine.

  For 1kg of pork fat, rub a little salt over the entire piece of meat, then wash it clean, let it dry, and cut it into square pieces with a knife.

  Remove the roots of the dill, Vietnamese coriander, green onions, and cilantro, wash them directly under running water to clean off dirt, let them dry, and chop finely with a knife.

  Peel the ginger, wash it clean, let it dry, then mince it finely. The shallots only need to be peeled, then sliced thinly.

  Finally, place all the prepared clam meat on a plate along with the minced ginger, use chopsticks to mix well and marinate for about 15 – 20 minutes.

  Tip: To avoid the clams shrinking, you shouldn’t boil them for too long; just boil them until they just open, okay!

  

  

  

  
• 2

  Sautéing clams and frying onions

  Once the ingredients are prepared, place a pan on the stove with 1kg of drained pork fat and fry over low heat for 10 – 15 minutes until the pork fat becomes golden and crispy. Then turn off the heat, remove the crispy pork fat and the liquid fat into a bowl, leaving about 2 tablespoons of liquid fat in the pan.

  Next, add all the marinated clam meat along with 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1.5 tablespoons of fish sauce, and the dill and Vietnamese coriander into the pan and stir-fry over high heat for about 30 seconds.

  After that, when the clam meat has absorbed the seasoning evenly, taste and adjust the flavor, then turn off the heat and quickly transfer it to a plate.

  At the same time, place another pot on the stove with 200ml of cooking oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, add 100g of thinly sliced shallots, stir evenly with chopsticks, and fry for about 2 – 3 minutes.

  When the shallots start to firm up, reduce the heat to low and fry for another 2 – 3 minutes until the fried shallots become golden and crispy, then turn off the heat and transfer them to a plate.

  Tip:

  • Depending on your preference, you can use cooking oil to replace the pork fat!
  • If you want the fried shallots to be crispier, add a little salt and a few drops of lemon juice as soon as you put the shallots into the pot!

  

  
• 3

  Cook the porridge

  You put a new pot on the stove with the amount of glutinous rice, regular rice that has been ground, 1.5 liters of water, and 2 teaspoons of salt, cooking on high heat for about 10 minutes.

  When you see the water boiling, reduce to low heat, and use a ladle to stir well, continue cooking for an additional 20 – 25 minutes, until the porridge has a moderate thickness, then season to taste and turn off the heat.

  

  
• 4

  Final product

  Once completed, you just need to take a bowl and add the cooked porridge along with the stir-fried clam meat, add a bit of fried onion, green onion, cilantro, and ground pepper to enjoy!

  It’s really simple, isn’t it? However, alongside the fragrant aroma from various herbs, there is also the firm, flavorful, sweet clam meat blended with porridge that has a moderate thickness. Don’t miss out on this delicious dish!