CLAMS IN CHINESE BLACK BEAN SAUCE

CLAMS IN CHINESE BLACK BEAN SAUCE image

Number Of Ingredients 10

24 clams, about 3 pounds
3 tablespoons peanut or corn oil
4 cloves garlic,chopped
1/2-inch fresh ginger root, minced
4 scallions, 1-inch sections, separated
1-1/2 tablespoons fermented black beans, rinsed, mashed with 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons Shaohsing wine or medium-dry sherry
1 tablespoon thick soy sauce 3 tablespoons clear stock or water
1 teaspoon potato flour, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
sesame oil to taste

Steps:

Heat a wok over high heat until smoke rises. Add the oil and swirl it around. Add the garlic, ginger and white scallions. Stir and let them sizzle for a few moments to release their aroma. Add the mashed black beans and stir to mix. Tip in the clams. Sliding the wok scoop or metal spatula to the bottom of the wok, turn and toss for 30 to 45 seconds. Splash in the wine or sherry around the side of the wok, continuing to turn and stir. When the sizzling dies down, add the soy sauce and stock or water. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat to medium and cook for about 8 minutes.Transfer the opened clams with a pair of chopsticks or tongs to a warm serving platter and keep warm. Stir and turn the remainder a few times and cook, covered, for another 4 to 5 minutes, so that they will open. Transfer the rest to the serving platter, leaving the sauce in the wok.Lower the heat, add the well-stirred potato flour to the sauce, stirring as it thickens. Tip in the green scallions. Sprinkle with sesame oil.