Here is how I made this batch:
A thumb-sized
piece of ginger was sliced and fried with some diced garlic
until golden.
Depurated clams were then thrown in the wok to fry until they
open.
Add some pepper and some
chilli oil
to achieve your preferred Scoville Heat Unit.
Boiling water is then added to the fry to make up the soup.
At this point you may fortify the soup with some of your
preferred stock (I used chicken stock powder).
Taste and adjust for saltiness (I used fish sauce).
The soup is now ready to serve after garnishing (I used spring
onions).
How to depurate
live clams
Wash the clams in
some changes of clean water. This only surface cleans the clams.
Place the clams in a container and add water to cover the clams.
Add a couple of tablespoons of salt (35 g per litre if you want
to be precise) to each litre of water and let it dissolve.
Leave the clams in a cool place for at least 24 hours (I kept mine in a
fridge overnight - too much cold may terminate depuration).
If dirty water is seen after some hours, wash the clams and
change the salt water mix and resume depuration.
If the water is reasonably clear after 24 hours, wash the clams
and they are ready to use.
If not, continue depuration until the water is clear.
However, there is a good chance that the clams may perish during
the depuration so use your judgement.
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