Yangshuo River Snails: Recipes + Menus : gourmet.com

Gourmet's Adventures with Ruth: Season One: Yangshuo Cooking School

Serves4 as a first course

Active time:35 min
Start to finish:1 hr

December 2009

Watch a preview of this Gourmet's Adventures with Ruth episode and view its accompanying recipes. Plus, explore all episodes and more recipes from the show.

For braising snails

4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 lb fresh river snails (periwinkles) in their shells, rinsed well
1 cup pork spareribs (2 small), hacked into 1-inch pieces with a cleaver
a 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise
2 whole star anise
a 1 1/2-inch piece cinnamon stick
5 small (1 to 2-inch) dried chiles or ½ tsp hot red pepper flakes

For stir fry

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 oz pickled bamboo shoots, rinsed and cut into long thin strips (about 1/2 cup)
4 small (2-inch) pickled red chiles, cut into smaller pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup loosely packed mint leaves
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Braise snails

Stir water and salt in a wok (it should taste like the sea), then add snails, pork, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, and pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Boil snails over medium heat 20 minutes.
Transfer snails to a bowl with a slotted spoon, discarding pork and large spices, then discard braising liquid and wipe wok dry. Using a pin or a toothpick, remove the protective flat disk of shell from the opening of each snail and discard.

Stir fry snails

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in wok over high heat until almost smoking, then quickly add bamboo shoots, pickled chile, and garlic and stir-fry about 30 seconds. Add snails and stir-fry 30 seconds more. Add water, mint, oyster sauce and soy sauce and stir-fry 30 seconds more. Transfer to a bowl and serve.

Cooks' Note: Fresh snails, pickled bamboo shoots and whole pickled red chiles are available at most Chinese markets.

Photograph by Marcus Nilsson

by Yangshuo Cooking School, Yangshuo, China

Keywords: adventures with ruth,; yangshuo cooking school,; china,; snails

More Recipes + Menus

The third season of Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie travels the world to serve a feast of culinary trends, exotic ingredients, and food-obsessed personalities. We’ll explore the unspoiled waters around Tasmania, the culinary traditions of Istanbul during Islam’s holiest month, and more.