Ốc Nấu Chuối Đậu: Northern Vietnamese Snail Stew with Green Banana and Tofu

Steps

1. 1Purge the snails

   Put the snails in a metal basin and pour in rice-washing water to cover them. Slice a chilli or two into the water and leave the snails to soak for 2–3 hours. Northern cooks swear by metal, which they count on to make the snails spit out their mud faster, and change the water partway through. When the time is up, the water should be cloudy with what they have released, and live snails still pull back into their shells at a touch.

2. 2Boil until the caps loosen

   Rinse the snails well under running water. Bring a pot of water with a little salt to a boil and tip the snails in. Once the water returns to a boil, count one minute, then lift the snails out with a skimmer straight away and keep the cooking water. This short boil only loosens the meat; the real cooking happens later in the sauce. You are there when the small round caps come away from the shells and float on the surface.

3. 3Cool and pull out the meat

   Drop the snails into cold water until they are cool enough to hold. Cut off the tip of each shell, then hook the meat out of the opening with a bamboo skewer. Pull away the dark intestinal end and throw it out along with the shells. Each piece should come out whole, pale and firm, with no dark tip left on it.

4. 4Clean and season the meat

   Rub the meat with a little salt and vinegar or lemon until the slime comes away, then rinse it in clean water. Toss it with a little minced shallot and garlic, a small splash of the fish sauce, a pinch of the hạt nêm and a pinch of pepper. Keep the seasoning light, since salt and fish sauce can tighten the meat and make it salty, and some northern cooks skip this seasoning entirely. Strain the snail cooking liquid through a fine strainer and set it aside. The meat is ready when it feels clean rather than slick and every piece is lightly coated.

5. 5Cut and soak the bananas

   Peel the green bananas, or leave the peel on if you prefer. Cut them into bite-size pieces and drop each one straight into rice-washing water with a little salt, slaked-lime water, or lightly salted water with lemon. Grate the turmeric and press out its juice. Drain the bananas and toss them with half the turmeric juice and half the mẻ. The cut faces should be evenly yellow, with no grey or dark patches.

6. 6Brown the pork belly

   Cut the pork belly into thick strips. Lay them in a frying pan in a single layer and sear, turning, until the edges brown and the fat runs out into the pan. The rendered fat is what gives the sauce its richness later. Move the pork to the heavy pot once the edges are golden-brown and crisp and the pan glistens with fat.

7. 7Fry the tofu

   Cut the tofu into bite-size pieces. Heat oil in a small shallow pan and lower the tofu in gently, turning it until every side is golden. Lift the pieces onto a wire rack to drain. They are done when the surface is golden, the pieces feel light, and they keep their shape when you pick them up.

   Hot oil

   Lower the tofu into the oil away from you and keep children clear of the stove. Wet tofu spits, so let excess water drip off first.

8. 8Stir-fry the bananas

   Heat a little oil in the frying pan and cook the rest of the shallot and garlic until fragrant. Add the turmeric-coated bananas and stir-fry until their surfaces tighten. This firming keeps them from collapsing in the simmer. Tip them into the pot with the pork when the pieces hold their shape under the spatula and carry a faint yellow sheen.

9. 9Simmer until the sauce turns glossy

   Pour in the strained snail liquid, then add water until the pork and bananas are just covered. Add the remaining fish sauce and hạt nêm, the mắm tôm, the salt, and the rest of the mẻ and turmeric juice. Simmer over low heat, scraping the bottom now and then so nothing catches. Keep going until the pork and bananas are tender and the sauce has thickened to a glossy gold.

10. 10Add the snails and tofu last

    Only once the sauce has thickened, add the snail meat and fried tofu. Push them gently under the sauce and simmer for 4–5 minutes. Going in earlier toughens the snail meat and wears down the tofu. They are ready when the sauce bubbles around them and the snail meat is hot right through to the centre.

    Order is everything

    Pork and banana need a long simmer, snail and tofu a short one. Holding the snails back until the sauce is glossy is what keeps them springy instead of rubbery.

11. 11Finish with the herbs

    Taste the sauce and adjust it with fish sauce or salt. Add the scallions, tear in the perilla and wild betel leaves, and stir once. Turn off the heat at once and let the warmth of the pot draw out their aroma. Stop when the leaves have just wilted and still look bright.

    Herbs off the heat

    The herbs give the stew half its smell. Added early, they boil away into a dull green; added as the flame goes out, they stay sharp and fragrant.

12. 12Serve hot

    Ladle the stew into a deep bowl and scatter over sliced chilli if you like heat. Set it in the middle of the table with hot rice or bún, and add extra perilla for anyone eating it over noodles. Serve it while it is still steaming and the herbs are still green.