Who is in love with seafood? I get you because I love a good plate of fresh seafood too! Sometimes, I feel blessed to be raised in this beautiful country of Malaysia, where food from all over the world is easily accessible, and they are delicious too.
Everywhere I go, food will always be the first thing that comes to my mind. Vietnam as a country is blessed to have large areas of the sea. The Ha Nam island in the Quang Ninh province is situated at the mouth of a river and along a coastline. The island is blessed with plenty of unique seafood.
Vietnamese cuisine has always been one of the famous and local favourites in Malaysia. With more and more Vietnamese restaurants opening up these days, our eating choices are expanding every day.
Many of us are aware of the typical dishes in Vietnamese cuisine, such as ‘Pho’, ‘Goi Cuon’ which is also known as the Vietnamese spring roll, ‘Banh Xeo’ the crepe filled with pork, shrimps and bean sprouts. However, there is one particular dish that is relatively popular among the Vietnamese community, ‘Ngan’.
What is Ngan?
Ngan is a type of hard clam which is similar to a scallop but more significant in terms of size and has a coarse shell. Besides its mouth-watering attributes, it is also known to be nutritional with essential vitamins that our body needs for everyday activities. For the longest time, Ngan has been the forte of Ha Nam island.
To the locals, Ngan as a dish is famous during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year or also known as Tết Holiday. It is essential to keep the cooking part of the Ngan simple to maintain the original flavour of it. The Ngan is therefore only boiled to a maximum of 3 minutes to keep it delicious – if the liquid leaks, the nutrition from the Ngan will be gone.
There are many ways to serve this dish. Some restaurants may use bigger clams, but most people will enjoy the smaller size ones. Usually Vietnamese will prefer to use baby clams for this dish.
Types of dishes with Ngan
Ngan being a type of clam makes it a versatile dish that can be eaten with a variety of dishes. The many recipes that Ngan can be incorporated with are porridges, stirred fried noodles or even steamed with glutinous rice. So if you are in the mood for noodles or even something more substantial like rice, Ngan is here to satisfy your hunger.
Fun Facts About Ngan
In the past, the locals in Vietnam used to collect Ngan for the Lunar New Year. This is done with a long stick to dig into the mud during low tide. This allowed the locals to receive about 4-5 kg’s of Ngan to cook for their families during the New Year. This also made Ngan a delicacy that the rich and the poor could enjoy.
Where To Find It?
Since ‘Ngan’ is not a typical dish in Malaysia yet, you may cook it yourself! Why not impress your family or your friends with your cooking skills? ‘Ngan’ is extremely easy to make and it can be mouth-watering for seafood lovers too. Just prepare some spices that you prefer and throw them all into a wok or barbecue pit, voila, a plate of perfect beauty ‘Ngan’ is ready to blow off your guests’ mind!
For clam enthusiasts, Ngan is your go-to dish to try out. So, if you’re in the mood to indulge in something new, find more of Vietnamese cuisine on foodpanda!