Spicy Hot Balitong With Kangkung

Its been a long time since the last time I cooked this dish.  Saw the balitong ( sea snails ) being sold at the UTC market and who could resists it..of course I could not and bought home 1 kg with mud and all.  WB is against me eating but temptation is just too strong for me.  I failed when it comes to food. The glutton me , huffing and puffing away preparing this dish in the kitchen while the man of the house kept coming to the kitchen and nagged away. " dirty looking and bad for your health "  The woman of the house replied " No worries , don't we always ask God to bless the food before eating, sanctify it and make it good for our body? "  LOL !  That was part of the conversation recorded in my brain in my kitchen last Saturday :)

Eating these balitong reminded me of my childhood...my grandma used to stir fry with hot fiery rempah :) and we had the  thrill of sucking out the meat from the shell :p And my grandma was the one who taught me how to suck out the meat from the shell.  Kids learn fast and when I first introduced to my daughter, she learns fast too and till today, she loves to eat these too.  My son doesnt like balitong ....too scary for him as in he doesn't know what is inside the shell  hahaha he is scared of worms :p

I tried to replicate this dish, Spicy Hot Balitong With Kangkung (water spinach ) that is being served in restaurant :)  And I know mine taste good :p   Serious !

Anyway , this is one of my favourite dish.   Homecooked ones are still the best :)

Here is another link for another balitong dish that I cooked some time back 

Click  Spicy Sea Snails aka Balitong

ingredients to make this flavorful and  delicious dish

love the aroma of the rempah and dried shrimps

wafting out from the wok while it is being saute

adding the water spinach makes the dish more complete

a kg all to myself :) 

Spicy Hot Balitong With Water Spinach

1 kg Balitong - wash off mud, wash and rinse until clean, 

                       chop 1/4 inch off end of shell with the back of a cleaver

                       and wash off the chippings of shell before cooking

a small bundle of water spinach - wash and pluck the tender leaves and stem for use, 

2 cloves of garlic - chopped

3 shallots - chopped

3 tbsp of dried shrimps - soak and  pound coarsely

3 tbsp of fresh rempah ( from the wet market ) * use 1.5 tbsp of fish curry powder if fresh rempah is                                       not available.

1 stalk of lemongrass - crushed

a tsp of sugar

salt to taste

2 tbsp of rice bran oil

Method:

Heat up wok, add in oil. When oil is hot , add in the chopped garlic and shallots and saute till fragrant. Add in the fresh rempah and dried shrimps and saute till oil separate from the rempah. Add in the balitong and stir fry for 5 mins. Add 1/2 cup of water, sugar and salt to taste, cook with wok cover on over medium high heat.   Remove wok cover after 15 mins, add in the water spinach and stir fry until the water spinach is cooked.  Dish up and serve hot.

Enjoy!