A Weekend Dinner For My Family......

The first clam lovers in New York City were Algonquin Indians, who carved the shells into beads for currency called wampum, which the Dutch settlers — who arrived around 1609 — sometimes accepted as payment for goods. Of course, the Indians ate the clams first, either raw or by digging a pit, lining it with rocks, putting coals on top of the rocks, seaweed on top of the coals, and then throwing clams on top of the seaweed and burying them. We’re pretty sure the shellfish steamed up sweet and tender.


A favorite clamming spot for both the Dutch and the Indians was Gowanee Creek — now called the Gowanus Canal. The Dutch and Indians were later joined by the English, who substituted the clams in recipes that had originally called for mussels and cockles back home. It was probably in the 17th century that clam chowder was invented, though some say this soup had a French origin, via Breton immigrants to Canada’s Atlantic seaboard.

Clam holes

The city’s love of clams persisted throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. By 1950, the inlet called Sheepshead Bay was lined with at least 10 clam shacks, many on stilts, serving clams in dozens of recipes from Dutch, French, English, and Italian sources.

Clams digging

Sharing with all of you 2 simple clams dishes.

Steamed clams in ginger curry.

500gm clams
2 tbsp curry powder + 1 tbsp water
1 tbsp chilli paste
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 thumb size ginger - cut julienne
2 cloves garlic - chopped
1/2 medium size onion - slice thinly
125mls thick coconut milk
125mls water
2 tbsp oil
1/2 lemon - squeeze out the juice

1/  Wash and soak clams for several hours. Rinse several times..
2/  Heat up the wok and add 2 tbsp oil. Saute the onion, ginger and garlic until fragrant but not burn.
3/  Add chili paste and stir fry for 1 min and add in the curry powder.
4/  Add water, coconut milk and salt, bring to simmer. Pour in the clams and mix well.

5/  Cover the wok and steam the clams for 5 mins or until it pop open. Do not over cook the clams.

6/  Add lemon juice and garnish with cilantro and sprinkle with chilli flakes.

Or you can serve clams in ginger curry with rice as a 1 pot meal.

Add plenty of gravy and it sure taste heavenly.

Kids love clams

Great starter dish with rice or toasted baguette.

Another great appetizer........

Steamed Clams With Ham

500gm clams
2 slices of ham or bacon - slice thinly
1/2 thumb size ginger - cut julienne
3 cloves garlic - chopped
2 bird eyes chilli - chopped
1/2 bell pepper - cut cubes ( optional )
1/2 cup raisin wine /Shao Hsing hua tiao wine/ ginger wine
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
1/2 tbsp oil
Chopped spring onion for garnishing

1/  Wash and soak the clams for several hours. Rinse several times.
2/  Put the clams in the stainless steel plate. Add the wine, ham, bird eyes chilli, ginger, sprinkle salt and pepper.
3/   Prepare the steamer, when water boil steam the clams for 5 mins or until it pop open. Do not steam more than 7 mins.
4/  Heat up the wok, add oil and stir fry the garlic until brown and fragrant.
5/  Garnish the steamed clams with garlic oil and chopped spring onion.

Don't waste the gravy, it taste heavenly.

Clams can be deep

And for dessert...... Coconut Sagu Pudding

50gm Hoen Kwee Flour
80gm sagu
100gm sugar
250mls thick coconut milk
300mls water
Pinch of salt
Few drop of red colouring
Few slices of pandan leaves

1/  Wash and soak sagu for 30 mins. Drain off the water.
2/  Bring 300mls water and pandan leaves to boil, add the sagu and cook until transparent. Keep stirring to prevent burn at bottom of pot.
3/  Pour in the coconut milk and mix well. Add sugar, pinch of salt and cook until sugar melt.
4/  Remove from stove, scoop out half the pudding mixture and add red colouring to 1 portion, mix until well blend.
5/  Scoop the white portion of pudding mixture into jelly mold, leave it for 5 mins then add the red pudding mixture. Chill in the fridge till set.

Sagu

Hoen Kwee flour is an Indonesia green bean flour that had been flavored.

This pudding is refreshing for anytime of the day.

This year 2015 Chinese Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, year of Sheep/Goat begin on the 19th February and end on 5th March. Spring festival, widely known as Chinese New Year in the West, is one of the most important traditional festival.

Chinese New year is a tie for families to be together, wherever they are, people come home to celebrate he festival with their families. Red packets filled with money is one of the most popular gifts to be given to children and seniors,

Sharing my Chinese Lunar New Year gifts from my Canadian friend, a lottery ticket, New Year card and red packets. Knowing that one of my hobbies is collecting red packets, my friend gave me some Canadian red packets. It's not easy to collect red packets from countries overseas.

And a surprise red packet with cash. Thank you very much my dear friend.

And I think, I'm quite lucky this year winning several Chinese New Year contests that sponsored by various companies in Malaysia and Singapore.

Pororo Singapore & Malaysia  slogan contest.

Yomeishu slogan contest.

And few others lucky draw contests from various company.....

Compliments from Tune Insurance.

Compliments from Forefront, a designer company.

I started this nothing better to do hobby 3 years back collecting various kind of beautiful and exclusive red packets from banks, shopping malls, hotels, restaurant, casino, etc.... To date I have about 2500 beautiful designs.
Let me show you.........The Beauty of Red Packets.

Deutsche bank 2015 red packets from Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

These are previous years exclusive red packets from Deutsche bank.

Red packets from State Street Corporation.

JP Morgan banking red packets

Red packets from Royal Bank Of Scotland, BNP Paridas, Sumitomo Banking, Legg Mason Asset Mgnt, National Australia Bank, Bank of American Merrill Lynch.

Red packets from Barclays Bank, Morgan Stanley Financial Company, Credit Agricole Investment Bank, Scotia Bank, Royal Bank Of Canada.

Red packets from Credit Sussie, Am Private Banking, EFG Private banking, Amundi Assets Mgnt.

BNP Paridas exclusive red packets are made of velvet material.

Red packets from  State Bank Of India, Panin Bank of Indonesia, Natixis French Bank.

From banks of Hong Kong.

 From Singapore Museum.

Special Horse year red packet set from Konica.

Singapore cute red packets from POSB, DBS, SPC, AMK.

Cadbury 2015 red packets set.

Lexus luxury car red packet

Various types of red packets from Honda, Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Lexus, Volkswagen.

Red packets from Casinos and Star Cruise.

Hush Puppies red packets.

Exclusive set from Publika Mall in Kuala Lumpur.

Beautiful red packets from Elizabeth Arden, Shiseido & shopping mall.

 A rare Dayak red packet from East Malaysia.

McDonald 25th anniversary 2015 red packet from China.

Martell Tricentenaire 300th years anniversary red packets.

These are way back 30 to 40 years old vintage red packets from our local banks @ UMBC, Pacific Bank, Mui Bank, Magnum Finance, Public Bank. While spring cleaning I found this in my treasure box.

And this hard to come by special red packet from my Canadian friend. Really appreciate your kind gesture for giving me this red packet.

Re to my friend Louise's comment, each red packets are packed in PP plastic bag individually and arrange accordingly. I got special boxes to stored my red packets.

Those exclusive red packets from foreign banks and private banking  I arranged in the album.

The exclusive 2014 red packet set is from Deutsche bank.

Happy Lunar New Year to all my Chinese friends. Wishing you all the best and abundance of good health.
Have a nice week ahead.
Amelia