Preparation
30 minutes
Cooking
30 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Apple snail is certainly a familiar ingredient for those who love simple, rustic dishes. Today, TasteVN will guide you on how to make steamed apple snail cake, which is incredibly simple yet irresistibly delicious. Let’s get cooking and make this steamed dish!
Ingredients for Steamed Apple Snail Cake For 4 people
Apple snail meat 300 gr (prepared) Minced pork 200 gr (lean shoulder meat) Sausage 100 gr Pork fat 50 gr Wood ear mushroom 20 gr Shiitake mushroom 20 gr Shallots 2 bulbs Betel leaves 5 leaves Wheat flour 1 tablespoon Turmeric powder 2 teaspoons Fish sauce 1 tablespoon (essential fish sauce) Vinegar a little Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Salt a little Banana leaf 1/2 leaf
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh and delicious apple snails correctly
- Prioritize buying live apple snails. You can touch the snail’s operculum, and if it retracts immediately, it means the snail is alive and fresh.
- Additionally, when buying snails, you should choose those with plenty of meat and whose operculum is close to the outer edge, as these are the plump and meaty ones.
- Avoid buying dead snails, those that smell fishy, have retracting operculum, or float on the water when dropped in.
- If you choose packaged snails, buy from reputable places like supermarkets, convenience stores, or seafood shops, and select bags that are tightly sealed with clear information about origin and expiration date.
How to choose delicious pork sausage
- It’s best to buy pork sausage that is securely packaged to ensure cleanliness, safety, and no dust.
- Choose parts of pork sausage that have a light pink color, are uniform in color, and are smooth.
- Avoid buying parts of pork sausage that show signs of meat and fat marbling due to insufficient grinding or those with an unusual smell, as they might be expired.
- When buying pork sausage, you should also pay attention to the expiration date and check if the production place is reputable.
- Additionally, you can refer to the way to make pork sausage at home to ensure quality and hygiene according to the guidelines from TasteVN below.
How to choose and buy delicious black fungus and shiitake mushrooms properly
For black fungus (wood ear):
- When it comes to black fungus, you should prioritize choosing black fungus with large, thick caps and a stem with few small mushrooms.
- It’s advisable to buy black fungus that has a dark amber color, with a slightly shiny top and a bottom that is coffee-colored, as this indicates good quality mushrooms.
- Avoid choosing black fungus that is too black, as this type may become mushy when soaked in water and is less crunchy.
For shiitake mushrooms (shiitake):
- For shiitake mushrooms, you should choose those with a light brown cap, of moderate size, and tightly curled inward.
- Prioritize buying shiitake mushrooms with short stems, as they will be sweeter when eaten.
- Avoid purchasing shiitake mushrooms that are bruised, have a foul smell, or show signs of mold.
Tools needed
Steamer pot set, pan, knife, bowl, spoon,…
How to Make Steamed Snail Cake
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Prepare and stir-fry snails
After purchasing the escargot meat, you should rub it with a little vinegar and salt to eliminate the fishy smell, then rinse it with water until clean and chop it finely.
Place a pan on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, wait for the oil to heat up, then add a little minced shallot to fry until golden and fragrant, then add the snails and stir-fry briefly over medium heat until the snails are firm. You shouldn’t stir-fry for too long as it will make the snail meat tough.
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Prepare other ingredients
Soak wood ear mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms in a bowl of water for about 30 minutes until the mushrooms expand. Next, cut off the mushroom stems, rinse them with clean water, and chop them finely.
Wash the betel leaves and cut them into thin strips.
Place a pan on the stove, add pork fat to the pan, initially simmer on the lowest heat, and once the fat starts to render, increase the heat to simmer until the fat becomes a thin, syrupy consistency.
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Mix the snail cake mixture
Put 200g of minced lean meat, 100g of pork sausage with 1 tablespoon of melted lard, all the wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, 300g of stir-fried snail meat, and betel leaves into a large bowl, then season with 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce (high-protein fish sauce).
To make the mixture stick together better, you can add 1 tablespoon of flour. Mix the snail cake mixture until you feel it becomes sticky and elastic.
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Steam the snail cake
Put about 1.5 liters of water into a pot with a steaming basket and place it on the stove, turning the heat to high. When the water boils, line a layer of banana leaves on the steaming basket, add the snail cake mixture, and steam for 20 minutes until the cake firms up and is cooked evenly.
Tip: Steamed snail cake should be left whole for better taste and to avoid being crumbly compared to shaping it into small balls.Once the snail cake is cooked, you can eat it right away or fry it until golden.
If you don’t finish the steamed snail cake, you can store it in the fridge refrigerator and then take it out to fry and enjoy the next day.
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Final Product
The steamed snail cake after completion has a fragrant aroma and looks very appealing.
The piece of snail cake has a firm consistency, biting into a piece will let you feel the chewy deliciousness from the apple snails, minced meat, pork sausage, and various mushrooms, creating a very attractive flavor combination.
Remember to enjoy the snail cake with a little chili sauce to prevent getting bored as well as enhance the deliciousness!
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So, TasteVN has just guided you on how to make steamed snail cake with just a few simple steps right at home. Quickly head to the kitchen and showcase your skills in preparing this delicious dish for the whole family! Wishing you success in your cooking.
