Sotanghon (vermicelli) soup with clams and wakame

Most Filipinos know sotanghon soup as something with chicken or pork but, let me tell you, clams make a more flavorful broth. No need for enhancements, the natural flavors that can almost make you smell the sea are all you need and want.

I used saltwater clams for this soup. If you’re interested in a related article about clams, click here.

Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients:

1 k. of saltwater clams, soaked for several hours, then washed and rinsed several times until no visible specks of sand remain
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced (you can get away with just peeling and crushing them, really)
a thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
300 g. of good quality dried sotanghon (vermicelli)
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1/8 c. of shredded dried wakame (a Japanese seaweed available in Oriental stores)
patis (fish sauce), to taste
finely sliced onion leaves, for garnish

Boil eight cups of water. Add the clams and wait until they open.

Scoop them out immediately and set aside. Cooking the clams separately ensures you will not overcook them.

Into the hot water, add the garlic, ginger and onion. Cover the pot and simmer for about ten minutes or until the vegetables have rendered their flavors into the broth.

Add the carrot slices and unsoaked sotanghon. Season with patis. Cover and cook until the noodles swell, about ten minutes.

Return the clams to the pot, turn up the heat and as soon as the soup boils, turn off the heat. Add the wakame, cover the pot and leave for five minutes. Taste and season with more patis, if needed.

To serve, place the noodles at the bottom of the bowl, top with the vegetables and clams then pour in the broth. Sprinkle with onion leaves and serve hot.