Oc buou kho sa ot kieu mien Tay comes out loud with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf, the snail meat firm and coated in a thick braising sauce. The tricky part is the boiling, since too long and the meat tears when it is pulled from the shell.
The moment the water boils hard and the opercula pop open, the snails come out. Then the meat is picked, cleaned and rinsed. Half the minced lemongrass, garlic and chili goes into the marinade and the other half is fried.
This batch weighs about 1.7kg, at roughly 103 calories per 100g.
Method
Soak the 1.5kg of snails in rice washing water with 2 chopped chilies so they release the mud, then rinse them clean.
Boil the snails, and the moment the water boils hard and the opercula pop open, lift them out, pick the meat, remove the waste, rinse and drain.
Bruise and mince the lemongrass. Mince the garlic, shallot and deseeded chili. Shred the kaffir lime leaves.
Marinate the snails with 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon nuoc hang, 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and half the minced lemongrass, chili, garlic and shallot for 10 to 15 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil and fry the remaining lemongrass, shallot and garlic until golden and fragrant.
Add the marinated snails and toss until firm, then lower the heat and braise until the sauce thickens, tasting and adjusting.
Scatter over the shredded kaffir lime leaf, turn off the heat and eat hot with white rice.
Tips
Lift the snails out the moment the water boils hard and the opercula pop open, as longer tears the meat and makes it hard to pull free.
Frozen snails should be thawed, then rubbed with vinegar and coarse salt before rinsing.
Splitting the minced lemongrass, garlic and chili in two, half for the marinade and half for frying, is what brings the aroma out.
Shredded kaffir lime leaf goes on as the heat goes off, since adding it early loses the aroma and turns it bitter.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.