Ngán is a kind of hard clam and well-known seafood in Vietnam. Ngan means tasteless or boring in Vietnamese, but in reality, it is delicious, soft, chewy, and almost buttery with a pleasant aftertaste. You can cook Ngan in various ways, by grilling, steaming, broiling or deep-frying with vegetables.
The most famous dish is Ngan Wine, whereby the fresh Ngan is cut, and its blood is poured directly into strong liquor. It is believed to improve men’s virility.Ngan is similar to clams, but bigger with a rough white shell due to living under deep sand. It is commonly found at Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh Province in Vietnam.
You can find the clam anywhere in the cuisine of that province. The customers can choose their own Ngan from the buckets or tanks at most restaurants. Ngan contains a lot of nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates, vitamin B12, iron and selenium.
One of the popular ways to enjoy the Ngan clam is by stir-frying with basic seasonings, maintaining its buttery taste. The recipe is so easy and delicious. Enjoy the dish with a hot bowl of rice, and you will never forget it.
Ingredients (2 servings):
- 500g Ngan clams
- 1-inch ginger (finely chopped)
- 3 chilli peppers (seeds removed and finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 5 spring onion (cut white part and green part separately)
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon cooking wine
- Salt
Directions:
- Add water and 1 tablespoon of salt in the large container until the clam is immersed fully. Soak the clams for 2 to 4 hours to remove the sands inside.
- Boil some clean water in a pot and add the washed clam inside it. Boil until the clams are slightly opened, drain the water and put it aside.
- Heat cooking oil in a pan. Stir fry ginger, chilli peppers, garlic, and white parts of spring onions with medium heat until fragrant.
- Then, add the cooked clam, salt, and cooking wine. Mix it thoroughly for about 2 minutes.
- Serve it immediately and garnish with green parts of spring onions.
- Enjoy it with a bowl of hot rice!