China · Guangxi
Stuffed River Snails
River snails emptied of their flesh and packed with minced pork, mint and shiso, then braised in broth until the filling sets. A signature dish from Yangshuo in Guangxi.
This is the most celebrated of the eighteen stuffed dishes that Yangshuo is known for, and it drew wider attention when it appeared on a national food documentary. Snails have to spend half a day in clean water clearing out the grit from their guts before anything else begins, and that waiting period is what makes it a holiday project rather than a weeknight one. The filling is chopped rather than pureed, because the grain is what you chew on.
Ingredients
- river snails1000 g
- pork250 g
- fresh mint leaves10 g
- shiso leaves10 g
- ginger15 g
- scallion30 g
- Guilin Sanhua liquor15 ml
- light soy sauce30 ml
- salt5 g
- cooking oil30 ml
- pickled bamboo shoots50 g
- garlic20 g
- dried chili4 pieces
- oyster sauce10 ml
- cornstarch10 g
- white pepper2 g
Directions
- 1
Buy the snails in the morning and leave them in a basin of clean water for the afternoon to purge the grit.
- 2
A few drops of sesame oil, or a little mustard, in the water will speed this up.
- 3
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and blanch the snails for 1 to 2 minutes. Do not go longer or the meat toughens.
- 4
Lift them out and pick the meat from the shells with a toothpick, discarding the operculum and the black intestinal tract.
- 5
Rinse the empty shells and shake off the water.
- 6
Optional: 10 ml oyster sauce, 2 g white pepper and 10 g cornstarch.
- 7
Stir in one direction until the filling becomes sticky and cohesive.
- 8
If you want to save time, put everything above into a food processor and pulse it.
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.