Cooking stuff in a parcel or bag is great. Not only does it keep the contents lovely and moist, but when you open the bag at the dinner table the amazing smell hits you like a ton of bricks. As the clams open they’ll release their tasty juices which will mix with the curry sauce to produce a wonderful broth. Clams can be a bit hard to get hold of at times but this dish works equally well with mussels, or even fish.
Serves 4
Cooking time: Approx. 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1kg of live clams
- thumb-sized piece of ginger, cut into small matchsticks
- 1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 red chilli. thinly sliced
- 1/2 a small onion, finely chopped
- handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 300 ml coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons green curry paste
- a handful of broccoli florets (purple sprouting if in season)
- a tablespoon of lightly crushed green pepper corns
- Baking paper & string
METHOD
Start by making the curry sauce. Over medium heat, gently fry the onions in a little bit of oil for a few of minutes until they soften. Add the chilli, ginger and garlic slices and cook for another minute, then add the curry paste and give everything a good stir. Finally, add the coconut milk and crushed pepper corns and stir. Cook the sauce gently for about 10 minutes so all the flavours can dissolve and mix together.
While the sauce cooks, prep your clams which pretty much means checking that they’re not dead. (this is very important if you don’t want to end up with food poisoning so take your time) Rinse them under cold running water for a few minutes and give them a good shake. They should all close up. If any stay open give them a sharp tap on the kitchen counter. If they still don’t close they’re probably dead, so throw them away.
With the clams alive and well, get ready to make your parcel. Take out the baking paper and lay it inside a soup bowl with about 4-5 cm to spare around the outside, then cut off the edges until you’re left with a square. Add a large handful of clams and 2 or 3 tablespoons of curry sauce. Chuck in some chopped coriander and a few of the broccoli spears, then close the parcel and tie it off tightly with the string.
Place the bags on a baking tray in a preheated, hot oven (220C, 425F, Gas7) and cook for about 15 minutes so all the clams open, giving the bag a quick shake every 5 minutes. Serve with fragrant thai rice.
