Periwinkle Escargot with Sweet & Sour Tamarind Sauce (Ốc Xào Me)

Periwinkle Escargot with Sweet & Sour Tamarind Sauce

In Vietnam, when you go eat snails (oc), you don’t just eat sea snails or what the French call escargot. You eat an assortment of seafood such as crab, shrimp, clams and squid. Eating snails is part of the nhau culture. It includes a lively atmosphere, often with friends and families that come together after work. Together they sit on small flimsy plastic stools around a knee-high table. Seafood is often served in small portions so patrons can sample more items from the menu. They fill their bellies while sipping on cold beer, served in a cup with one large piece of ice that threatens to smash your teeth at every sip. The scene is fun and boisterous, and you usually end the night with a stained shirt from the splatter of amazing sauces.

One of the dishes served in these snail eateries that is sure to stain some shirts is sea snails in a sweet and sour tamarind sauce (oc xao me). The sea snails are quickly stir-fried then topped with fried garlic and served with Vietnamese coriander (rau ram). Aside from washing the sea snails, the dish comes together quickly. In the recipe below, I am using periwinkle sea snails as they were available in the frozen aisle of my Asian supermarket. However, you can use this sauce for any type of sea snails or shell fish. Recipe below. Enjoy!

Periwinkle Escargot with Sweet & Sour Tamarind Sauce

Periwinkle Escargot with Sweet & Sour Tamarind Sauce (Oc Xao Me)

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 lbs periwinkle sea snails/escargot
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 2 oz tamarind seedless tamarind pulp
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 10 large garlic cloves (peel and mince finely)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon chicken bouilion powder
• Vietnamese coriander (optional)

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine hot water and tamarind pulp for 15 minutes. Strain mixture through a sieve and discard pulp. Set tamarind liquid aside.
2. Clean the periwinkle. Rinse thoroughly and drain dry.
3. In a large skillet, heat up a large skillet with vegetable oil. Add garlic and fry until golden brown. Remove fried garlic and set aside. Remove all oil except a thin layer.
4. Add tamarind juice and season with sugar, fish sauce and chicken bouillon powder.
5. Add periwinkles and toss with sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and thickened.
6. Transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with fried garlic and Vietnamese coriander.

Periwinkle Escargot with Sweet & Sour Tamarind Sauce

Periwinkle Escargot with Sweet & Sour Tamarind Sauce