Curbside friends with a side of Clams

Passport & Plate - Clams in lemongrass & Ginger Broth - Con Nghêu Hap

Vietnam | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 5 photos

Ingredients
2 kg small clams
2-3 stalks lemongrass, sliced thinly
5 slices ginger
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
2 red chilli ,
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar

 

How to prepare this recipe
Soak Clams in water for about an hour, remove clams and drain.
Put 1 lt of water into a large pot and bring to the boil. Steam clams for about 5 or 10 minutes until clams are fully open be careful not to overcook the clams.
Discard any clams that do not open.
Remove all clams and set aside.
Prepare all ingredients: Slice chilli, ginger, garlic and lemon grass.
Add all the remaining ingredients to the water and let the broth simmer for a further 15 or 20 minutes.
Place all clams back into the broth and let cook for a further minute.
Serve hot with a generous helping of Vietnamese/Asian herbs such as Thai Basil and mint also known as a "Rau s?ng" and Vietnamese spicy fish sauce

 

The story behind this recipe
About a year ago I visited Vietnam with my husband and a friend. One chilly and busy evening in Hanoi we made our way out for dinner, as we walked along we came across a typical Vietnamese street restaurant with a collection of tiny plastic chairs and tables lining the sidewalk. We each took note of the bowls of clams on the tiny tables, the mountains of prawn and the large crabs. We ultimately decided that this had to be dinner, a Vietnamese family ran the tiny restaurant, the mother handled all the customers, the dad cooked at a makeshift stove at the curbside and the little boy entertained himself amongst the people at the tables. As we sat down there was a young German traveler sitting next to us waiting for his food, he greeted us as we were handed menus and placed orders. I didn’t need to look at the menu I quickly pointed at a bowl of clams on a nearby table and the man serving us smiled in acknowledgement. While we waited for our food we chatted and joked with our German friend. When our food eventually came the steaming broth and the mounds of clams and leafy greens in the cold night were completely perfect. As we ate the little boy became increasingly amused with us and he ran up and down in front of us trying to get our attention. His parents were amused by him and encouraged him to bring out his toys to keep our attention. We spent a few hours on that sidewalk, eating clams, chatting and playing with the little boy until his dad took him home and we made a friend in a fellow traveler.
That evening was so real; to me it is the reason why I love to travel. It wasn’t a major tourist attraction or a fancy reviewed restaurant, it was a simple moment, a fresh meal that brought a group of people from different ends of the globe together, on an arbitrary night experiencing something new that was different for each of us. We were in that moment and when it ended we went our separate ways but it will never be forgotten and it started with a bowl of clams.