#JennieChinesecooking #snaileating #spicysnails #riversnails #Chinesenightsnack #Chinesecooking
Spicy fried and braised river snails is the most popular night snack in China’s night market. Having spicy fried snails with some beer is the most enjoyable thing! River snail is rich in protein, vitamins, essential amino acids, and trace elements. It is a typical “high protein, low fat” healthy food.
Serving 2-3
Ingredient
2 pounds of river snails or other small size snails
2 inches leek white
4 cloves of garlic
2 inches Ginger
3 green onions or 4 spring onions
4 dried chili pepper
3 pickled chili pepper
1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorn
2-3 pieces of Cassia bark
1 star anise
1.5 tbsp spicey soybean paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 bottle of beer
Process:
Keep the snails in water for 1-2 days to let them spit out the dirt and soil. During this period, we need to change about 3 times of water till the water is clean.
Rub the snails vigorously to remove the dirt from their shells. repeat the process for 2 to 3 times and every time need to change the water.
When the snails are very clean, use a clamp to remove their tips. In this way, during the braising process, the soup can go through inside the snail and make it tastier. Then rinse them till the water is transparent.
Chop pickled chili peppers diagonally, or you can sub in 1 Tbsp chopped pickled red chili.
Break up dried chili peppers
Cut spring onions into 1.5 inches long strips
Mince ginger, garlic, and leek white
Turn the heat on medium, pour in 1/4 cup oil, immediately drop in dried chili pepper, star anise, Cassia bark and Sichuan peppercorn, toss for a while till you can smell the fragrance of them, then put in the pickled chili pepper, toss for a moment. Pour in all the minced garlic, ginger, and leek and keep on tossing till you can smell them.
Add in spicy soybean paste, toss it till you can see the red oil appearing, which means the spicy soybean paste is well cooked, then add in soy sauce. Let the soy sauce be bubbling.
Now pour in the snails, toss for 2 mins
Pour in beer till the beer can cover almost every snail. The beer can make snails super Umami and remove the unpleasant fishy taste. Swap heat to high to make it boil, cover the pot, swap heat to low and keep on boiling for 15 mins.
Then, Turn the heat to high to reduce the liquid, During the process, you need to toss the snails for several times to make sure every snail is evenly flavored.
when 90% liquid is reduced, drop in the green onions. Toss for 10 seconds. If you like to dip snail meat in soup, you can reduce less.
Heat off, move the snails out.
Spicy fried and braised river snails, done！