Braised Yi River Clams
For Braised Yihe Clams: Score the Yihe clam meat, steam with accompanying ingredients, neatly arrange the steamed clams in a serving bowl, then pour over the braising sauce to finish the dish.
Ingredients
Yi River clams
1.5 kg
Rehydrated shiitake mushrooms
6
Carrot
200 g
Garlic whites
25 g
Rehydrated winter bamboo shoots
100 g
Lard
50 g
Pork fat
100 g
Fine salt
10 g
Ham
100 g
MSG
2 g
Water chestnuts
50 g
White pepper
1 g
Instructions
1
Step 1
Shell the Yi River clams and clean the meat, gently flatten the foot with the blade, score parallel lines on one side of each, then rotate 90° and make diagonal cuts about 2/3 through the meat. Scrub the carrot clean, peel the water chestnuts, and slice the pork fat and ham separately.
2
Step 2
Place a pot over high heat with an appropriate amount of water and bring to a boil. Add the carrot, ham, and bamboo shoot slices and blanch for 3 minutes, then drain and discard the water.
3
Step 3
Return the pot to high heat, pour in the chicken broth, add the clam meat and simmer while skimming off the foam. Add the pork fat slices and cook until the broth turns milky white, season with fine salt, remove from heat, and pick out the pork fat.
4
Step 4
Take a bowl and place one shiitake mushroom in the center. Arrange the clam meat, carrot, shiitake, and ham slices neatly in the bowl. Place the bamboo shoot slices, water chestnut slices, and pork fat slices on top. Pour in the milky clam broth and steam over rapidly boiling water in a steamer for 1 hour. Remove from the steamer, pick out the pork fat, and invert the steamed clams onto a serving plate.
5
Step 5
Place a pot over high heat, pour in the reserved broth from the steamed dish, add the garlic whites and lard. Once the sauce comes to a boil, thicken with cornstarch slurry and pour over the dish, then sprinkle with white pepper to finish.
