Clam and dill broth

Canh ngao

By: Andreas Pohl, Tracey Lister
From: Real Vietnamese Cooking
Serves: 6
Photographer: Michael Fountoulakis

The clams can be replaced by other seafood - mussels, for example, would also work well. You might need to adjust the seasoning of the finished dish to your own liking, but keep in mind that clams can be quite salty, so resist seasoning the broth until the very end.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
2 teaspoons	vegetable oil
5	red asian shallots, finely diced
3	tomatoes, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
160g	chopped unripe pineapple flesh, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 teaspoon	salt
3 teaspoons	sugar
1 litre	chicken stock or water
2 tablespoons	Tamarind water
1	long red chilli, thinly sliced
	dill fronds
500g	clams, washed
1 tablespoon	fish sauce, approximately
3	spring onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon	freshly ground black pepper
1/2	lime, juiced
	Boiled rice, to serve

Method

Heat the oil over medium heat in a saucepan and fry the shallot until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, pineapple, salt and sugar and cook for 2 minutes, or until the tomatoes soften.
Pour in the stock and tamarind water. Stir in the chilli and dill and bring to the boil.
When the stock is boiling, add the clams and cover the pan. Shake the pan about to evenly cook the clams -you will start to hear them popping open. After 2-3 minutes, check the clams and discard any that have not opened.
Add the fish sauce, spring onion, pepper and lime juice. Check the seasoning, as you might wish to add more fish sauce.
Serve in a large bowl at the table and enjoy over boiled rice.