Clam and Courgette Spice Curry, made with SN2

A curry in which the clams, still in their shells, go in last of all. Take the pan off the heat the moment they open and the meat will not shrink. Add the courgette before it can collapse, so it keeps its half-moon shape.

Spice Curry Symphony No.2 is a blend for seafood. Built around coriander, the freshness of cardamom and bay leaf sits alongside the warmth of mace and cassia. That aroma lifts the salt of the liquor the clams release as they open.

Time required: about 60 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• SN2 / starter spices (the bag of whole spices): 1 bag
• SN2 / powder spices (the bag of ground spices): 1 bag
• Asari clams (purged of sand, in the shell): 400g
• Courgette: 1
• Onion: 1
• Garlic: 2 tsp (roughly 1–2 cloves)
• Ginger: 2 tsp (roughly 1–2 pieces)
• Canned tomatoes (whole): one 400g can
• Water: 200ml
• Sake: 2 tbsp
• Salt: 1/2 tsp
• Oil: 3 tbsp (use whichever oil you prefer; for this recipe we suggest rice bran oil or white sesame oil)

The salt here is 1/2 tsp rather than the usual 1 tsp. That is because the clams release a salty liquor of their own; taste at the end and add more.

Preparation

1. Grate the garlic, then the ginger, in that order. If you have no grater, chop them finely.
2. Slice the onion thinly, across the grain.
3. Cut the courgette into 1.5cm-thick half-moons.
4. Wash the clams by rubbing the shells against each other, then drain.

Method

1. Put the oil: 3 tbsp in a pan over low heat, and once the oil has warmed, add the starter spices (the bag of whole spices).
2. When you hear the mustard seeds (the small black ones) start to pop, add the grated garlic and ginger and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring them through the spices.
3. Add the onion, stir it thoroughly through the spices, then turn the heat to high and cook for about 12 minutes until amber, splashing in water frequently as you go.

   How far you cook the onion changes the finished dish more than anything else. “It came out watery”, “the tomato tastes too sharp”, “it lacks depth” — the single biggest cause of all three is moving on to the next step before the onion has gone amber. Cook it for a full 12 to 15 minutes and keep going until it is properly amber. The points are keep the heat at medium to high spread the onion evenly across the pan and leave it, then stir; spread it evenly and leave it again, then stir — and repeat whenever you stir and feel something catching on the base of the pan, splash in a little water (in our experience, about 2 tbsp of water each time, roughly five times in all) Splashing in water carries the savour the onion releases through the whole pan and keeps it from catching while it turns amber. Letting it colour just enough to need a splash of water is, if anything, exactly what draws the flavour out.

4. Once the onion is amber, switch to medium heat, add the courgette and cook for about 1 minute, until the oil has coated the surfaces. Courgette collapses easily, so at this stage do no more than coat it in oil.
5. Add all of the powder spices and work them through, thinking of it as cooking the powder itself through.
6. Push the ingredients to one side, add the canned tomatoes, crush the whole tomatoes thoroughly, then stir everything together.
7. Add the water: 200ml, sake: 2 tbsp and salt: 1/2 tsp; once it comes to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
8. Add the clams and cook over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until they open.

   Overcooked clams shrink and turn tough. Always add them at this final step and take the pan off the heat as soon as they open. Discard any that have not opened by the end.

9. Finally, taste and adjust the salt. Adding it a pinch at a time until it is seasoned the way you like it is what makes the difference.

Inspice spice curry spice sets contain none of the chilli, cayenne or red pepper that usually carries the heat, so add as much as you like to suit your taste.