Friday, June 19, 2009

Fresh Clam Soup with Tofu and Mustard Greens



This is a popular clear soup in Chinese restaurants and "paluto" restaurants here in Manila. It is not surprising, really, since this a flavorful, yet refreshing hot soup. It cleanses the palette in between eating dishes and viands of different flavors. It is healthy and nutritious and virtually non-fat.

This is definitely Hubby's favorite. The secret is getting fresh, live and clean clams. I try to prepare this every chance I get fresh clams from the market. I was just wondering myself why I have not blogged about this before :)

In this nutritious soup, the clams provide the flavor, the tofu provides the protein and I think the ingredient that makes this soup stand out in flavor is the mustard greens. Contrary to what you might suspect, these greens will not make the soup bitter. The leaves made the soup lighter and more refreshing.


1 Kilo fresh clams, clean very well
1 block soft tofu, sliced
100 gms mustard greens, cleaned, chopped
5 slices fresh ginger
1 onion, chopped
3 T canola oil
5 T minced garlic ( we prefer garlicky flavor, lessen if you prefer)
4 T Chinese cooking wine
5 C water
salt and pepper to taste


1. In a cooking pan or wok, saute ginger slices in oil until fragrant. Add in the onions and garlic. Saute until fragrant but not burnt.

2. Add in the clams. Cover for a minute. Then add in the Chinese cooking wine. Cover for another minute.

3. Add in the water. Cover and let boil.

4. When the shells of the clams are fully opened, then the soup is ready. Drop in the soft tofu and mustard greens. Let boil, and cook for a while, add salt and pepper according to taste. Ladle up and serve as soon as possible. The clam meat will shrink if cooked for a long time. Discard shells that did not open.



If you are cooking soup with strong flavor like clams, or beef, consider adding a few mustard greens. Mustard greens not only adds to the clear taste, but gives a lot of nutrition as well. This food is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Iron and Magnesium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. (source: NutritionData.com) I am surprised to learn that this is one of the few greens that contain protein because it is rich in amino acids. This means this is an ideal food for vegetarians.


Sharing this healthy and nutritious soup with the Weekend Herb Blogging community, headed by Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything At Least Once. This edition is hosted by Astrid at Paulchen's Foodblog.

46 comments:

Mary Bergfeld said...

This looks delicious. We have clams in our markets but I'm not sure how fresh they actually are. I'll pick up some next time we are on the coast.

Chibog in Chief said...

Clams with tofu, this sounds perfect combo!! love it!

My Little Space said...

I have never try this kind of recipe, but it looks delicious though ! Have a nice day.

Lori Lynn said...

It does sound delicious, clean and light. I am a fan of all these ingredients. Thanks for this recipe.
LL

Oggi said...

You make the healthiest yet delicious stuff. Thanks for sharing.:)

tigerfish said...

I also love this soup...the clams made it so tasty. Clam soup is quite popular in Taiwan.

Noob Cook said...

I totally love fresh clams and how wonderful they look in your soup!

Galatians 5:22 said...

I love to serve more and more seafood at home.. This is surely YUM!!

Midge said...

We had a similar meal at home last week, but it was mussels (tahong) in broth with sili leaves. I never thought about using tofu in a shellfish soup, but after seeing your dish I'd love to give it a try.

Beachlover's Kitchen said...

love clam soup especially chinese style!! this clam soup really look great,add some thai's chili pls:)

Ivy said...

I have to try this. My husband on the other hand is not so fond of clams.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Hua said...

Hi,

This looks amazing! I'm a big clam lover so I'm definitely going to have to try this soup out sometime. I'm Hua, the director of Wellsphere's HealthBlogger Network, a network of over 2,000 of the best health writers on the web (including doctors, nurses, healthy living professionals, and expert patients). I think your blog would be a great addition to the Network, and I'd like to invite you to learn more about it and apply to join at http://www.wellsphere.com/health-blogger. Once approved by our Chief Medical Officer, your posts will be republished on Wellsphere where they will be available to over 5 million monthly visitors who come to the site looking for health information and support. There’s no cost and no extra work for you! The HealthBlogger page (http://www.wellsphere.com/health-blogger) provides details about participation, but if you have any questions please feel free to email me at hua@wellsphere.com.

Best,
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Ruy said...

Missed visiting here!

I also love using clam stock for corn with malungay soup. Forgot what its called though.=)

I really enjoy your recipes they're so do-able.

Lady Prism said...

I'm going to have try this! :D

Jonnek said...

We miss you Ning. Hope everything is ok with you and your family.

lishapisa said...

I live this blog, delicious food and yet super cozt to visit each time. i want to thank you! and yes love this dish, the texture with the tofu can the chewy clams are so good together. hope to hear from you soon. Your and many other warming blogs has inspire my 3 sister and I to saw on. please Visit us sometime:
www.cookng.blogspot.com

3 hungry tummies said...

this is perfect for hot summer days!!

radha said...

I see you have not blogged for a while, but I noted your comment about sticky rice recipe with mango on another blog and followed it up here. Can you please give that recipe. So that when the mangos are there the next season I can make it. Love the dish.

Xiao Yen Recipes said...

I just featured stir-fried clams with basil on my blog and now I come across your post for clam soup. I've never had clam soup before but your recipe is simple and healthy. Will definitely give it a shot.

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Xenical said...

To be honest I am not a big fan of Clams or Mussels. I don't like the taste. Tofu is great though!

Anonymous said...

I like the idea of this soup. I've never heard of Chinese cooking wine, though. If I can't find it, is there something else I can use as a substitute?

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