Home-Style Dishes
Stir-Fried Sea Snails with Fermented Black Beans and Chili
A savory home-style dish traditionally said to nourish yin and moisten dryness
Why people make this dish
Bro Niu picked up fresh sea snails on a family day trip to a Sai Kung seaside seafood restaurant, and this is how he cooks them at home. Sea snails done right — just cooked through — stay sweet, crisp, and tender, and in traditional thinking they are associated with nourishing yin and moistening dryness. It is a fast, savory dish that comes together in one wok.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Anyone who enjoys a quick savory seafood dish
- Those with a weak, cold stomach should add minced ginger, or stir-fry with a little Thai basil, to balance the cooling nature
- Shellfish allergy: avoid
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Sea snails (hua luo): traditionally associated with nourishing yin and moistening dryness when cooked just to tender-sweet
- Fermented black beans (dou chi) and garlic (suan): add warming, aromatic savor that lifts the dish
- Ginger or Thai basil (jiang / jiu ceng ta): added by those with a cold constitution to offset the cooling tendency of shellfish
Ingredients (2–3 servings)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sea snails | ~600 g | Rinsed clean |
| Green + red chili | a little | Cut small |
| Minced garlic | to taste | |
| Fermented black beans | to taste | Chopped |
| Light soy sauce | to taste | Premium “tou chou” |
| Cooking wine | a splash | For deglazing |
| Ginger / Thai basil | optional | For a cold stomach |
Method
- Rinse the sea snails clean. Cut the chili into small pieces; chop the fermented black beans.
- Heat oil in a wok. Fry the minced garlic and black beans until fragrant, then add the chili and stir-fry until aromatic.
- Add the sea snails and toss; splash in the cooking wine, add the light soy sauce, seasoning, and a small half-bowl of water.
- Cover and let it cook briefly until the liquid reduces, then plate up.
Bro Niu’s tips
Cook the snails just to the point of being done — that is when they are at their sweetest and crispest. If your stomach runs cold, add minced ginger, or stir-fry with a little Thai basil to warm the dish up.
Published May 11, 2011 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
