Shallow bowl of Periwinkles in Coconut Milk
(click to enlarge)

Periwinkles in Coconut Milk


Philippine
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4 app
**
3-1/2 hrs
Yes		 Periwinkles are something you eat for entertainment, not for nourishment. While they're tasty, there's not much in them, and what there is takes effort to get out (see Serving).




2
2
1
1/3
2
14
1/2
1/3
1
1
1
#
cl
oz
in

oz
t
t
T
T
T
Periwinkles, live (1)  
Garlic
Shallots
Ginger root
Chili, red (2)
Coconut Milk
Salt
Pepper, black
Lime Juice
Fish Sauce (3)
Oil
Prep   -   (3 hrs - 25 min work)
  1. Check if PERIWINKLES are alive (see our Periwinkles page).
  2. Place Periwinkles in a large bowl. Fill with cold water to cover well and swish them around for a minute or so. Strain out. Repeat this 2 more times. Return them to the bowl and cover well with cold water. Let them sit for 1-1/2 hours to 2 hours.
  3. Peel GARLIC and slice thin. Chop SHALLOT fine. Slice GINGER very thin. Mix all.
  4. Slice RED CHILI into thin strips or thin rings, depending on what kind of Chili you are using.
  5. Squeeze LIME JUICE.
Run   -   (20 min)
  1. Drain Periwinkles. Rinse and drain again.
  2. In a spacious sauté pan heat Oil over moderate heat and fry Garlic mix, stirring until just golden.
  3. Stir in Coconut Milk (careful, that stuff foams up), Salt and Pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes, stirring now and then.
  4. Turn up the heat and stir in Periwinkles, Chili and Fish Sauce. Bring back to a boil and cook, tumbling the snails often, until you can get them out of their shells easily with a toothpick (3 to 5 minutes). Do not overcook.
  5. Stir in Lime Juice and take off heat.
  6. Serve warm - see Serving.
NOTES:

  1. Periwinkles:

      These can be purchased live from many Asian markets. For details see our Periwinkles page. In the Philippines, recipes of this type are often made using Golden Apple Snails (Kuhol), a fresh water rice paddy snail strictly forbidden in California.

  2. Red Chili:

      I use 2 red Thai chilis, which makes gives this recipe very moderate heat. For even less heat you can use a Red Fresno cut into threads. For details see our Philipine Chilis page.

  3. Fish Sauce:

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.

  4. Serving:

      Eating this dish is messy. You will need to provide a stack of paper napkins and bowls in which to dump the empty shells and other debris. I made a tool from coat hanger wire that's more effective than toothpicks (see our Periwinkles page), but once in a while one will still manage to escape deep into is shell. You can't break the shell to get it out because the shell is far too strong.
  5. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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