Savory Clams With Basil/ 'Yee Heong' Lala

Saw these big sea clams at the fishmonger when I went fish shopping at the Canning Market.  Needless to say, I could never resist them when they look so succulent and fresh. Bought a kilogram back @RM15 ( pricey but who cares, empty the wallet first and scratch the head later LOL!  We had a day off yesterday for the Buddhists to celebrate Wesak Day , so this Momsie and Wild Boar had a sinful day eating clams and crabs :p   Come join me and have a virtual feasting of this mouth-watering dish - Savory Clams With Basil/'Yee Heong Lala - inspired by Lily of Lily's Wai Sek Hong .

Lily has a good collection of homecooked recipes that I have KIV and added to my to do list :)  I wanted to try out her Kam Heong Clams but since I have a lot of basil in the fridge, I decided to tweak it andused them in place of the curry leaves..thus mine had the basil fragrant instead  :p It turned out great. It was lovely and the natural sweetness of the clams was heavenly...meaty and succulent coated with the savory basil gravy...mama mia  ! it was finger lickin' good !  Lily ,thank you so much for sharing this homecooked clam recipe.  I can't wait for my Piggies to be back to cook this again. A keeper for sure and if you are thinking of cooking clams a different style, do try this, you will never regret it :)

fresh clams...meaty and succulent @ RM15/kilo

this seasoning combo is magic for this 

mouth-watering dish

these ingredients added extra oomph to the dish-

the basil and the dried shrimps are the culprits

for making this dish to die for

the thick flavorful gravy coated the clams

and makes it finger lickin' good

Savory Clams With Basil / 'Yee Heong Lala  ( adapted from Lily's Wai Sek Hong - 'Kam Heong' Clams )

Ingredients:

1 lb clams - if fresh - soak in salt water for 1 hr and drain dry - if frozen, do not thaw

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp dried prawns, soaked

2 tbsp curry leaves   * I used basil leaves

10 shallots, chopped

5 chilli padi/red jalepeno chopped

Seasoning :

1/2 tsp taucheong/mein see/fermented soya bean paste  * I omitted this

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp light soya sauce

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp dark soya sauce

dash of chicken stock granules  * I omitted this

Cornstarch and water for thickening
Method:

Heat 2 tbsp oil and saute dried prawns until fragrant.

Add in curry leaves, shallots, chilli padi and stir-fry until aromatic.

Add in the clams/la la, seasonings and stir fry at high heat until well mixed.

Cover with a lid, cook for 2 minutes until clams/la la are opened.

Thicken with corn flour and water, mix well and dish up.

Enjoy and have a fun filled day !

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