Stir Fried LaLa (Clams)

I was at the supermarket yesterday after work, just to pick up some stuff for the bak kut teh soup that I had in mind to make when I walked pass the fish section. Saw their la la selling at RM1.09 per gram. They were very nice and fresh (as most of them were sticking their little tongues at me). Decided just to get about 300g of these lovelies back and when they are all so nice and fresh, 300g is enough for 2 to 3 people. Normally when they are less fresh, you end up throwing quite a fair number away, which is such a waste. I have bought some before at another supermarket when they were not as fresh. Ended up throwing more than half away as they were either just empty shells or dead (they do not open even after cooking).

I love Kam Heong La Las but have not really asked mum how to cook that dish. She has only taught me how to do to stir fried la la in fermented beans style. Anyway, for kam heong style la la, I would need curry leaves, and they didn't have any left in the shelves at this time of the day. So that decided it for me. I'll do the stir fried la la in fermented beans.

This stir fry dish is done in a matter of minutes as there was not much preparation need. All you needed were some chopped garlic (I used 2 large cloves, but you can add or reduce the amount depending on how partial you are to garlic. Took 2 tablespoons of fermented beans out from the bottle and mashed them up a bit. Julienned some spring onions and 1 red chillie (these are part of the garnishing actually).

Rinse the la las in running water but the ones that I bought were so clean that I didn't see a single speck of mud in them. They really made my job easy. Set them aside to drain off all the water.

Heat about 2 tablespoon of oil in a hot pan and put in the chopped garlic first. Fry these until they are aromatic and add in the 2 tablespoons of fermented beans. You should really be getting a very aromatic smell now. Add a little bit of water if the gravy is getting too dry (this happens when your fire is too hot).

Stir in the la las. The fresh la las will all open up now. Stir it around to make sure the gravy covers all the lovely fleshy la las. Add in the spring onions and chillie. Dish up and ready to be served for dinner :)

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