Three-Color Sandworm

Three-Color Sandworm

　　"Three-Color Sandworm" is a well-known dish from Hainan, where green and red bell peppers are stir-fried together with sandworms. The resulting dish features bright and elegant red, green, and white colors, with a tender, smooth, and crisp texture, along with a slight spiciness that makes for an excellent taste. There are usually two ways to prepare sandworms: stir-frying and soup-making.

　　Dish Name: Three-Color Sandworm

　　　　Cuisine: Shanghai-style cuisine

　　Ingredients Back to Directory

　　250g fresh sandworms (cleaned), two each of green and red bell peppers (about 100g total), 2g minced garlic, 1g shredded ginger, 1g shredded scallion, 2g sesame oil, 1g pepper, 30g thickening stock, 10g cornstarch slurry, 1000g cooking oil (actual usage 50g), 10g salt, 10g MSG, 20g cooking wine.

　　Cooking Method

　　1. Mix the thickening stock, sesame oil, pepper, and cornstarch slurry to create a bowl of white thickening sauce. Trim the sandworms to uniform length, and julienne the red and green bell peppers into strips roughly the same length as the sandworms.

　　2. Heat the pan over medium heat, pour in oil until it reaches 70% heat, deep-fry the sandworms until 70% cooked, then remove and drain. In the same pan, heat up again and stir-fry the red and green bell pepper strips until 50% cooked, then set aside.

　　3. Heat the pan again with oil, add the flavoring ingredients, then put in the sandworms and pepper strips. Add wine, stir-fry, pour in the thickening sauce and mix evenly, then drizzle with finishing oil before plating.

　　Nutritional Value

　　Although not known for an attractive name or appearance, sandworms boast nutritional value, flavor, and medicinal and dietary benefits that rival other premium seafood delicacies, hence they are often called "beach sausages." The meat of the sandworm is crispy and tender, delicious in taste, and rich in nutrition, containing high levels of protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and other nutrients. Its flavor is even considered superior to that of sea cucumber or shark fin. Unlike sea cucumber and shark fin, which are relatively bland on their own and require additions such as chicken or lean meat to enhance taste during cooking, sandworms have a naturally delicious flavor and can be enjoyed on their own—either dried or fresh—without any accompaniments. Besides being popular among locals, they are also a prized dish in hotels and restaurants. Sandworms also offer considerable medicinal and dietary benefits. They are cool in nature, with a sweet and salty taste, and are believed to nourish yin, reduce internal heat, clear the lungs, and replenish deficiencies. According to medicinal texts, sandworms are especially recommended for those suffering from symptoms such as bone-steaming fever, yin-deficiency night sweats, lung deficiency with wheezing, chest tightness and excessive phlegm, or insufficient postpartum breast milk in women. For those dealing with pulmonary tuberculosis coughs, neurasthenia, pediatric spleen deficiency, or dryness, drinking a soup made with sandworms and ginger slices simmered with lean meat has therapeutic effects. Since sandworms nourish yin and kidneys, cooking them into porridge can also help children suffering from frequent nighttime urination due to kidney deficiency. Therefore, sandworms are a nutritious and restorative food suitable for all ages.

　　Food Story

　　　　A chef from Xinying Town in Hainan once worked at a star-rated hotel in Guangdong. During a cooking competition, the chef ground dried and stir-fried sandworms into powder and added the powder to soup during the contest. The resulting soup was incredibly flavorful, leaving the judges amazed and wondering how he had created such an exquisite taste.