Clams Steamed with Ginger and Scallions

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cooking oil (see Note, below)
• 12 medium clams 
• 6 sprigs cilantro leaves 
• 2 teaspoons ginger minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce light
• 3 tablespoons spring onion finely sliced
• 1.5 teaspoons sugar 
• 3 tablespoons vegetable stock 
• 8 cups water boiling
• 1.5 teaspoons vinegar white chinese
• 1 pinch pepper white
• 1.5 tablespoons cooking wine 

Equipment

• bowl
• sieve
• wok

Directions

1. Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl.
2. Place clams in a steamproof dish. Stir sauce, pour over clams.
3. Place dish on a rack in a wok over 6 cups boiling water, cover and steam, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Do not oversteam, or clams will become tough. Turn off heat and remove dish from steamer.
4. Garnish with coriander and serve immediately.
5. To make scallion oil: Trim, clean, and dry 3 to 4 bunches of scallions (1 pound), then cut each scallion into 2-inch pieces and lightly smash the white portions.
6. Heat wok over high heat for 30 seconds.
7. Add 1 1/2 cups peanut oil and scallions. Stir and mix well, making certain scallions are immersed in oil. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer the oil and scallions for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until scallions brown. Turn off heat, strain through a fine strainer into a bowl and cool to room temperature.
8. Pour into a glass jar, cover and refrigerate until needed. This recipe makes 1 1/4 cups, but the oil keeps for three months refrigerated.
9. From My Grandmother's Chinese Kitchen: 100 Family Recipes and Life Lessons by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo, (C) © 2006 By arrangement with Home Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc.