Recipe: Clam Chowder and Fried Crabstick

My girlfriend totally lovesssss clam chowder. I've always known that and I have always wanted to try to make my own. But I know it is quite difficult and I was afraid it might not turn out well. I still went online, searched for the recipe and went out to buy the ingredients with her. At first, there was a lot of ingredients I could not find, like this thing called 'half and half', which was a mixture of milk and cream. And the clams itself was quite expensive and not easy to find even though it was the chinese new year period. In the end, I managed to find everything and tried out the recipe, making changes of my own here and there. The result: one of the best clam chowders I have ever tasted. Here is the revised recipe, which makes one of the best clam chowders in my opinion.

Ingredients needed

1. 2 cans of razor clams, cut into smaller pieces (cheaper than pacific clam, both are fine, about 300g)
2. 1 white onion, minced (160g)
3. 2 or 3 sticks of celery, diced (120g)
4. 3 potatoes, diced (300g)
5. 2 carrots, diced (130g)
6. 5-7 slices of bacon strips, diced
7. butter (170g)
8. plain flour (95g)
9. half and half (1000ml) (or use 1 part cream to 4 parts milk)
10. salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Throw the bacon bits into a really hot pan and fry for about 3mins, constantly stirring and mixing it.

2. Then throw in the onion, celery, potato and carrots and stir fry for about 5mins, until the ingredients are partially cooked only. Add in a bit of oil if you think it is too dry. Turn off the flame once this is done.

3. In a big pot, pour in just the juice of the 2 cans of clams, and add in another can of plain water. Turn the fire to medium heat and add in the stir fried ingredients you just prepared. Let it cook till tender.

4. In another pot, melt the butter over a medium heat, remember to stir constantly so that the butter will not burn. Then use a whisk and whisk in the flour until smooth. Then whisk in the 'half and half' or 200ml of cream and 800ml milk. Whisk constantly over a low heat and until it is very smooth.

5. Finally, over a low heat, add the creamy mixture to the ingredients which are cooking in the other pot. Mix them together and let it simmer on low heat. Add in the clams and let it simmer. The duration is up to you. If you think it is thick enough, then you can stop. If it is too salty, add more milk, if it is less salty, add a pinch of salt to your taste when serving.

DONE! Amazing clam chowder to die for!

As for the crabstick, basically strip the crabstick into smaller strips and deep fry it in good quality oil. This was something my girlfriend's mum used to make for her when she was young. Now I do it for her. Haha! And this is really much better than potato chips!!! Trust me! When frying this, make sure you stand by the side and constantly stir and watch the crabstick strips because they burn very quickly and suddenly. Make sure you fry them till golden brown, or even a slightly darker brown like this is fine. If not fried perfectly, it won't be crispy.


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