Hot and Spicy Clams

It is my sister-in-law Pritha's birthday today and she loves the "Hot and Spicy Clams". So herez the recipe for you didi. Happy B'day !!!

"Tisrya Sukhe" - My mother makes it the best !!

Alternate Recipe with shrimp and bottle gourd.

Ingredients:
Clams - 2 cups, cleaned and halved
Grated fresh coconut - 1 cup Or Dry coconut powder - 2 tbsp soaked in 1/2 cup Coconut milk for 15 minutes
Chopped onion - 1.5 cups
Chopped ginger - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/4 tsp
Green chilies, chopped - 1
Salt - to taste

Whole black peppercorns - 1/4 tsp
Cloves - 2
Vegetable Oil - 1 tbsp

Kokum - 2 to 3 peels OR 1 small raw mango, peel and cut into 4 pieces.


Method:

• Add all the ingredients to a bowl except oil, pepper, cloves and kokum/mango and mix thoroughly with your hands.
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add peppercorns and cloves to hot oil.
• Immediately add the contents of the bowl.
• Add water to the pan till the contents of the pan are barely immersed and stir.
• Cook covered for 10 minutes on a medium flame, stirring occasionally.
• Add kokum or mango pieces and stir to mix.
• Turn the heat up and cook uncovered till all the water evaporates.
• Optional Step - Continue cooking till the contents stick to the bottom of the pan and just start to brown. Cover and turn the heat off. This give a wonderful flavor to the dish due to the burning of the shells at the bottom of the pan.

Tips:

1. You can use cleaned, de-veined, tail off shrimps instead of clams.
2. When buying clams, ensure that all the clam shells are closed tightly and not broken.
3. Wash the clams and keep them in the freezer for a few hours. They open up automatically.
4. To prepare clams for making this dish, open up the clams and split into halves. Transfer all the meat onto one half and discard the other. Ensure that all the clam is washed properly and there is no sand in the shell along with the meat or broken pieces of shells.

Alternate Recipe:
Replace clams with shrimps and onion with 2 cups grated bottle gourd.