COCKLES aka See Hum / Kerang

One of my favourite food in Penang and still craving for it every single day is cockles. Boiled cockles are sold at many hawker stalls in South East Asia, and are used in char kueh teow and curry mee. They are called kerang in Malaysia and See Hum in Hokkien. It is one of the cheapest seafood available back then.



Cockles are bivalve mollusks that are closely related to clams. Think of the logo of the Shell petroleum company but whereas that logo shows the flat shell of a scallop, cockle's shell is domed. Cockles has a high content of selenium, cancer-fighting antioxidant, iron and vitamin B12. Large consumption has been linked to Hepatitis A, but you know what, so is eating any bivalve raw.

To prevent contracting food-borne diseases which might spread by cockles, i used the few tips passing down from my mum.

Purchase - Buy only cockles which are fresh, with intact shell and free from abnormal odour.

Preparation - Scrub, rinse and immerse the cockles in clean water for some time to allow self-depuration. Change water regularly. Use separate utensils and equipment for storing raw and cooked food to prevent cross contamination.

Cockles will taste better eaten fresh after blanched in boiling water and best to have them medium cooked. It is so simple to cook without much spices yet tasted great. Just dig out the flesh and dip into chilli or satay sauce. I remember the blood of fresh opened cockles dripping down my arms... it is simply bloody yummy !!