Steamed Clams and Winter Melon (Healthy Keto-Friendly)
Welcome to Day 4 of Cooking 20 Minute Dinner for 21 Days! Today we are making a healthy & delicious classic Taiwanese home cooking dish: Steamed Clams and Winter Melon. It only requires FIVE ingredients and will warm you up inside and out. No liquid is added, so all the broth is from the sweetness of the clams. Steamed Clams and Winter Melon are perfect for those on a keto diet or gluten-free since they are low in carbs and sodium.
Traditional Taiwanese Winter Melon Clam Soup
Steamed Clams and Winter Melon 冬瓜蛤蜊湯 is a traditional Taiwanese dish that I ate growing up. My mom used to make Steamed Clams and Winter Melon for me whenever I felt bloated or had stomach pain. It always helped smooth my bloating and helped with digestion. While the focus of the dish is the clams and winter melon, the resulting broth is actually the best part of the whole dish. Since it uses no water, the liquid comes from both the clams and winter melon’s essence release during the cooking process. When I was younger, I love eating the clam, and then drinking the soup with the clam shells instead of the spoon. It’s a core childhood memory! So, I was surprised when I found out how simple and quick it is to make!
One of my resolutions for TIFFYCOOKS is to share more traditional Taiwanese dishes that I grew up eating. When people think of Taiwanese food, they think of Beef Noodle Soup, Popcorn Chicken, and Bubble Tea. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE all those dishes, but I want to share more of my culture with you and hopefully bring a little bit of home for those that live far away and are missing Taiwan right now.
Steamed Wintermelon Clams Ingredients
- 1 slice Winter Melon 1.5 lb
- 1.5 lb Clams cleaned
- 3 inch Ginger thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp Chinese Cooking Wine Optional
- 1 tsp White Pepper
What is Wintermelon?
Winter Melon 冬瓜, or wax gourd, is a really really big and heavy gourd with a waxy outer coating. You often see it at the market sold sliced into chunks or big disks. It’s impossible to eat a whole winter melon in one meal! The flesh is very mild, lightly sweet, and extremely water-rich, up to about 96% water. It is high fiber, high antioxidants, high water content, and low in calories. When cooked, it becomes soft and absorbs all the clam’s natural umami. No salt is needed in this dish. But trust me, the umami flavors will be bursting!
Cooking With Clams
In Taiwan, clams are called 蛤蜊 (gé lí), or 蜊仔 (lâ-á) in Taiwanese. Clams are a fun ingredient to cook with because they’re natural little flavor bombs, adding a clean, briny sweetness the dish. They’re also are rich in protein, iron, vitamin B12, selenium, and other nutrients. I’d look for small to medium-sized live hard-shell clams at the supermarket or fishmonger, like Manila clams, Littleneck clams, or Cherrystone clams.
Preparing Fresh Clams
I definitely recommend using fresh clams for this dish instead of frozen, because it just adds a cleaner clam flavor. Before cooking, I pick out any cracked clam or any open clam that doesn’t close when tapped. Live ones will usually respond to tapping by retreating and closing their shell. I soak my clams in salted water for 30 – 60 minutes before cooking so they will spit out all the sand or grit. After cooking, make sure to pick out the clams that are sealed shut. Don’t force those open and eat them, because closed shells after cooking is a strong indicator they were dead before cooking.
How To Make Winter Melon Steamed Clams
- Prepare the Winter Melon by removing all the skin and seeds. Cut the winter melon into 1-inch pieces.
- In a pan, add in winter melon and place clams on top. Drizzle 1 tbsp of Chinese Cooking Wine, a dash of white pepper, and add sliced ginger all over the clams. Put the lid on and turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until clams are open and melon is soft.
- Garnish with cilantro, and enjoy!
More Taiwanese Home Cooking To Try with This Clam Dish
Healthy Keto-Friendly Wintermelon Steamed Clams
By Tiffy Cooks
Ingredients
- 1 slice Winter Melon 1.5 lb
- 1.5 lb Clams cleaned
- 3 inch Ginger thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp Chinese Cooking Wine Optional
- 1 tsp White Pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the Winter Melon by removing all the skin and seeds. Cut the winter melon into 1-inch pieces.
- In a pan, add in winter melon and place clams on top. Drizzle 1 tbsp of Chinese Cooking Wine, a dash of white pepper, and add sliced ginger all over the clams. Put the lid on and turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until clams are open and melon is soft.
- Garnish with cilantro, and enjoy!
Video
@tiffycooks Day 4/21 steamed clams and winter melon #seafood #healthy #recipes #keto #fyp
♬ Steven Universe – L.Dre
So no water added?
Yes D! No water added! Wintermelon is a very liquid heavy vegetable, so as it cooks, it releases moisture. The result will be super sweet, clammy juices.