Steamed Cockles with Garlic & Chilli

Steamed cockles/”see hum” with lots of garlic

I love cockles or better known as “see hum” locally. They are also known as blood cockles because of the presence of red hamoglobin liquid inside the shells. Some find it gross, but not me -  I loveeeee them. They are added in local dishes like char kway teow, satay bee hoon & laksa and I simply love fishing for the very few prized see hum in the dish. It’s usually not enough to satisfy my craving, so once in a while, I made a whole dish of cockles by steaming them with lots of garlic, accompanied with sliced chilli for some heat. You can make this restaurant-quality dish too at the fraction of the price, for these clams are incredibly cheap locally (I bought a 1kg bag at Shing Sheong supermarket for S$2) – definitely worth the time and effort to make at home. If you like steamed cockles, do check out another local favourite – easy steamed “gong gong” (conch) recipe too.

Close-up

My friend told me that cockles are high in iron, so they are beneficial for many women or those with anemia.  This is something I indulged it once in a while, and since I’m the only one in the family who likes these cockles, I have the satisfaction of having the whole plate all to myself.

Ingredients
(Serves 2)
- 400g cockles (aka blood cockles, “see hum“)
- boiling water
- chopped spring onions
- salt

Garlic Mixture (mix well in a small bowl):
- 2 tbsp chopped garlic
- a dash of white pepper powder
- 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp Chinese wine
- 1 chilli padi, sliced thinly (I removed most of the seeds)

Additional Tools
A heat-proof saucepan or container with lid (I use a microwave rice cooker)

Directions
1. Wash cockles, drain and place them inside a heat-proof container or saucepan. Pour boiling water until enough to cover the cockles. Cover with lid. After 2 minutes, carefully drain the hot water.
2. Open the shells, leaving each cockle on half shell.  Dip each half-shelled cockle in a bowl of cold water to shake off any excess dirt or sand.
3. Arrange half-shelled cockles one layer on a steaming plate. Spoon the garlic mixture over the top of the cockles.
4. Prepare steamer. When water in the steamer is boiling, place the plate of cockles in the steamer and steam at high heat, covered, for 3 minutes. Garnish with chopped spring onions.

Cooking Note
1. If you would like to enjoy this as a cold appetizer dish, cook this in advanced and refrigerate the cooked plate of cockles in the fridge. Serve chilled.

Ingredients Used chilli • chinese wine • cockles • garlic • light soy sauce • seafood • sesame oil • shellfish • spring onion • white pepper

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