Spicy Snail Skewers

Spicy Snail Skewers

　　Ingredients: One pound of snail skewers, bird’s eye chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, cooking wine.

Preparation: Finely slice the garlic and ginger,

Cooking:

Heat a small amount of oil in a wok. When the oil is 80% hot, add the bird’s eye chilies, ginger, and garlic, stir-frying until fragrant. Add the snail skewers and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Pour in 3 spoonfuls of soy sauce, sugar, star anise, and cooking wine, stir a few times, then simmer over medium heat for 6–9 minutes to let the flavors infuse. Finally, add MSG, stir twice, then plate. This dish is spicy, flavorful, and brightly colored.

Cooking Tips:

When buying the snail skewers, a friend who came along said two pounds didn’t seem like enough, so we ended up getting another pound. The snails had only had their tails removed and were covered in mud. Back home, I brushed each one individually with a toothbrush—so tiring~~~ I changed the water over 20 times and let them soak overnight. Of course, the snails ended up very clean. If the sellers cleaned them like I did, they’d be exhausted~~. My friend said they’d never eat snail skewers outside again, now realizing that only homemade ones are truly clean. Of course, these stir-fried snails have no bad smell either.

I thought the stir-fried snails weren’t as dark in color as the ones I’ve had in the south. I suspected it was because my soy sauce wasn’t as good. My mom hit the nail on the head: “Theirs aren’t cleaned one by one like yours, so naturally theirs come out darker when stir-fried....” But mine turned out really fragrant, with rich and thick sauce. When eating, the sauce drips down your fingers—it’s so delicious you’ll even suck your fingers clean.