Ingredients
- Live clams
- Garlic
- Dried chili or a fresh chili
- A little soy or salt
- Scallion
How it is cooked
- Clams are purged of sand, or they should be.
- They hit a hot wok with garlic and chili and are tossed just until they open.
- Ones that stay shut are discarded, not forced.
- They are a plate to share, with the cooking liquid. Ask the price per jin before the wok, not after.
Taste
Briny, hot, and garlicky. The clam should taste like the sea, not like a heavy barbecue sauce. Sand is a flaw, not a rustic charm.
Possible allergens
- Shellfish.
- Soy sauce, which in China is often brewed with wheat.
- Chili and garlic.
- Wheat if the soy is in it.
- A shared wok or a house chili oil can add peanut, sesame, or shellfish even when the recipe does not.