Fish Tofu and Baby Clams with Ground Pork (蛤蜊魚豆腐豬肉, Gap3 Lei4 Jyu4 Dau6 Fu6 Zyu1 Juk6)

 

This recipe was updated on 12 Sep 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

I have to admit that this recipe has an odd combination of ingredients - there’s ground pork, fish in the form of fish tofu, and clams for shellfish. However the combination tastes great together with the juice from the clams providing even more flavor in the sauce. You can also make this dish with hot bean sauce for a spicier version of this dish.

Enjoy!




Fish Tofu (魚豆腐, jyu4 dau6 fu6)

Baby Clam Meat (蛤蜊, gap3 lei4)



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

½ lb.	250 g.	Ground pork (豬肉, zyu1 juk6)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1 lb.	454 gm.	One package frozen fish tofu (魚豆腐, jyu4 dau6 fu6), thawed
12 oz.	340 gm.	One package frozen baby clam meat (蛤蜊, gap3 lei4), thawed
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

1 cup	250 ml.	Juice from the thawed baby clams
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Lian How brand Bean Sauce (豆瓣醬, dau6 faan6 zoeng3) or equivalent
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Lian How Brand Bean Sauce
(豆瓣醬, dau6 faan6 zoeng3)

Preparation Instructions

1. Thaw the fish tofu and baby clam packages overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Marinate the ground pork in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the pork overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
3. Take the fish tofu and baby clam packages out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking. Open the fish tofu package, and drain and discard any liquid in the package. Open the baby clam package, squeeze the clam juice from the clams, and save the liquid into a bowl for later use in the sauce. You want to remove as much of the juice from the clams so that the clams are as dry as possible for stir frying.
4. Wash and cut the green onions into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal.
5. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the juice from the clams, Lian How brand Bean Sauce or equivalent, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil. Add the ground pork to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside, breaking up any clumps that form. You may have to cook the pork in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the pork to a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the fish tofu. Stir fry the fish tofu and then transfer them to the bowl with the pork.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the clams. The drier the clams are, the easier it will be to brown them. If most of the juice is not squeezed from them, the clams will steam rather than brown. Stir fry the clams until browned.
4. Add the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the pork back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together.
5. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. If more sauce is desired, add some liquid (stock or water) to the wok. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce and mix all the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.