Cooking one’s own meals is a joyous experience. It gives you more control over what and how much you consume, and is easier on the pocket. Also, once you get used to cooking, it’s easy to jazz things up and make your kitchen feel like an exotic destination with you traversing the globe via your taste buds. This set of recipes aims to do just that, through the humble yet versatile clam.
My adoration for molluscs is evident in my recipe repertoire, which houses numerous clam-based bounties. To me, the idea of delighting in each sweet, meaty morsel is a gateway to memories of laughing and lunching with family and friends by the beach in Goa, before running back into the ocean for a dip.
Pleasingly inexpensive and easily available, clams are also a perfect source of protein. Another pro is they cook in a jiffy, leaving you with more time to decompress after a long day of work or seize your weekend completely, so don’t let the notion of buying clams deter you if you haven’t cooked them before.
For portions, consider about 10 to 12 medium clams per serving. You may use littlenecks, steamers or Manila clams for the recipes below, which span Italian, Indian and Thai cuisines. Cooking time will differ based on size, but it’s usually between six and eight minutes or until most clams have opened.
Recipe: Spaghetti alle vongole
Serves 1
A quick recipe to feed one and easily adaptable for more people with the delicious addition of a crunchy breadcrumb topping.
Ingredients and method for the clam pasta
80g-100g dry spaghetti
1 tbsp olive oil
50g red onion, diced
2 ½ cloves of garlic, chopped
½ cup non-alcoholic white wine
10-12 fresh clams
Juice of ½ lemon
Pinch of freshly crushed pepper
Sprinkle of sea salt
Handful of chopped parsley leaves
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Boil the water for the pasta 10 minutes before you’re ready to cook. Salt the water heavily and add some oil to it.
Cook the pasta for a minute less than the time mentioned on the box, then drain and keep aside.
In another saucepan, moderately heat the olive oil, add the diced onion and stir until translucent. Add the chopped garlic and stir until fragrant.
Add the non-alcoholic wine and let it evaporate a bit. Then gently add the clams to the sauce and stir once. Lower to a medium flame, and cover with a lid to steam.
Take a peek in about four minutes; if all the clams haven’t opened, give it another minute or two. Once the majority have opened up, they are done.
Add the drained pasta to the pan, make sure to cook only for a minute more while adding salt, pepper and lime juice. Stir well to incorporate everything in the sauce.
Turn off the flame, then add the parsley and a bit more salt and extra virgin olive oil (optional).
Ingredients and method for the anchovy crumb topping (optional)
½ tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp butter
2 anchovies, chopped roughly
1 garlic clove, fine chopped
4 capers
4 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs (3 tbsp if using ready breadcrumbs)
¼ tsp dried parsley
½ tsp lemon juice
Heat the oil and butter in a pan. Add the anchovies, garlic and capers. Allow to cook slightly, then add the breadcrumbs, parsley and lemon juice. Stir continuously until crispy and golden brown.
Top the pasta with the anchovy crumbs and serve.
Note: If you’re not making the crumb topping, add some red pepper flakes to the pasta to give it an edge.
Recipe: Kakka irachi ularthiyathu (Kerala clams)
Serves 2
The sweetness of the clams plays perfectly with the unctuous coconut and medley of spices in this dish, which pairs well with dal, rice and poppadum.
Ingredients
600g fresh clams in the shell
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 green chilis
½ inch ginger, julienned
½ tsp mustard seeds
5-6 curry leaves
60g red onion, diced
40g coconut, desiccated
1 tbsp coriander stalks, chopped
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp red chilli powder
¼ tsp pepper, crushed
1 tsp garam masala
Fresh green peppercorns (optional)
½ tsp fennel seeds, toasted
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp water
Coriander leaves and lime wedges, to garnish
Method
Once the clams are depurated, drain them and set in a wide pot with a lid but without any oil or water. Turn the stove on low and cook for eight to 10 minutes or until most are open. Shake the pot once in a while to help the heat distribute more evenly.
In another pan, heat the coconut oil and add the mustard seeds. Once they sputter, add the curry leaves, chilli, ginger and fresh pepper. Then add the onion on a high flame and stir continuously, not allowing them to brown.
Once onions are translucent, add the coconut and stir quickly to toast it. Next, lower the flame and begin adding all the powdered spices plus the garam masala. Stir well and briskly to cook off the masalas.
Add the coriander stalks. If the mix is catching at the bottom, add a spoon of water and salt. By now, the clams should be cooked and open.
Once the masala base is ready, add the clams and the clam liquor on a low flame. Mix well to get the coconut base into the clams.
Cover and cook gently for three-four minutes. In the last minute, add the fennel, stir and cover.
Garnish with coriander and lime wedges.
Recipe: Hoi pad prik pao (spicy Thai clams)
Serves 4 to 6
This is inspired by my favourite dish at Dubai’s Sticky Rice restaurant. Sweet clams cooked in a roasted chilli paste create a fiery spectacle of a dish that is truly addictive.
Ingredients
8-12 Thai bird’s eye chilli (8 for medium heat, 12 for spicy)
4 and 6 garlic cloves, divided
5 small Thai shallots
1kg fresh clams (in shell)
1 tsp fennel seeds
1½ tsp belacan or shrimp paste
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2½ tbsp fresh tamarind paste
1 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 spring onions (optional)
Handful of Thai basil
3 tbsp neutral oil
Method
Ready the tamarind paste, by mixing ¼ cup tamarind with ½ cup warm water. Squeeze the tamarind to get a paste and run it through a sieve. Alternatively, use store-bought paste, but take into consideration it contains sugar.
In a pan, dry-roast the chillis after piercing them with a knife, so they don’t explode once heated. Move the chillis around in the pan, until they blister and char all over. Remove, cut the stems and set aside.
Roast four garlic cloves the same way, followed by the shallots and fennel. They are done when they become fragrant.
In a small grinder, add the roasted ingredients, the 2½ tbsp tamarind paste, rice vinegar and belacan. (If belacan is too strong for you, add it in increments, but it adds umami to the dish). Grind to a paste.
Chop the rest of the garlic and fry it in a spoon of oil in a non-stick wok. Remove and set aside.
Add the rest of the oil and begin frying the spice paste on high heat, constantly stirring. On a medium flame, add the oyster sauce and soy sauce.
Add the sugar and stir (add a splash of water if the consistency is too dry). Add the clams once the sugar has melted. Stir well, cover with a lid and cook until the clams open, releasing their liquor, which takes about eight to 10 minutes.
Once done, add some basil gently ripped by hand, and spring onions cut in quarters. Stir well.
Serve immediately with more basil, jasmine rice and a side of greens such as wilted spinach or morning glory with garlic.
Note: If the dish is too spicy, taste before serving and adjust the heat with more sugar.
Tips for cooking with clams
- Only buy clams from a reputable fishmonger or supermarket.
- Store in the refrigerator and cook within two days of purchase.
- Before cooking, check the outer shell for grit, which you can brush off with a hard bristle brush under running water.
- To depurate clams of sand, set them in a bowl of cool, clean tap water for 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat until the water is clear of sand.
- To tell if a clam is fresh, give each a hard tap against the counter and see that it remains closed tightly.
- Conversely, only eat clams that open up on the heat and discard the ones that remain closed even after cooked.
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
FIXTURES
All kick-off times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Sevilla v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Athletic Bilbao v Real Sociedad (7.15pm)
Eibar v Valencia (9.30pm)
Atletico Madrid v Alaves (11.45pm)
Sunday
Girona v Getafe (3pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7.15pm)
Las Palmas v Espanyol (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Deportivo la Coruna (11.45pm)
Monday
Malaga v Real Betis (midnight)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
Contracted list
Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (87')
Athletic Bilbao 1
Williams (14')
RESULT
Manchester City 5 Swansea City 0
Man City: D Silva (12'), Sterling (16'), De Bruyne (54' ), B Silva (64' minutes), Jesus (88')
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
MATCH INFO
Mumbai Indians 186-6 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 183-5 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians won by three runs
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Director: Ron Howard
2/5
No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
RACE CARD
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Turf) 2,200m
5.30pm: Khor Al Baghal – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Khor Faridah – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
7pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
7.30pm: Khor Laffam – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
ICC T20 Team of 2021
Jos Buttler, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Afridi
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 5 (Lenglet 2', Vidal 29', Messi 34', 75', Suarez 77')
Valladolid 1 (Kiko 15')
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre V6
Power: 295hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 355Nm at 5,200rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
Price: Dh179,999-plus
On sale: now
Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206-cylinder%203-litre%2C%20with%20petrol%20and%20diesel%20variants%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20286hp%20(petrol)%2C%20249hp%20(diesel)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E450Nm%20(petrol)%2C%20550Nm%20(diesel)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EStarting%20at%20%2469%2C800%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20fixtures%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EFriday%2C%20June%2017%20v%20Oman%3Cbr%3ESaturday%2C%20June%2018%20v%20Singapore%3Cbr%3EMonday%2C%20June%2020%20v%20Malaysia%3Cbr%3EWednesday%2C%20June%2022%20v%20Qatar%3Cbr%3EFriday%2C%20June%2024%2C%20semi-final%3Cbr%3ESaturday%2C%20June%2025%2C%20final%3Cbr%3E%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20squad%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chaya%20Mughal%20(captain)%2C%20Esha%20Oza%2C%20Indhuja%20Nandakumar%2C%20Kavisha%20Kumari%2C%20Khushi%20Sharma%2C%20Lavanya%20Keny%2C%20Priyanjali%20Jain%2C%20Rithika%20Rajith%2C%20Samaira%20Dharnidharka%2C%20Sanchin%20Singh%2C%20Siya%20Gokhale%2C%20Suraksha%20Kotte%2C%20Theertha%20Satish%2C%20Vaishnave%20Mahesh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinFlx%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202021%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amr%20Yussif%20(co-founder%20and%20CEO)%2C%20Mattieu%20Capelle%20(co-founder%20and%20CTO)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%20in%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.5m%20pre-seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Venture%20capital%20-%20Y%20Combinator%2C%20500%20Global%2C%20Dubai%20Future%20District%20Fund%2C%20Fox%20Ventures%2C%20Vector%20Fintech.%20Also%20a%20number%20of%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
