Ngán is a type of bivalve mollusk that lives in saltwater and brackish water. Ngán can be found in many places, but Quang Ninh ngán is considered the most delicious by discerning diners.
Ngán is usually slightly larger than clams, with rough, white shells, and lives deep beneath the mud. When underwater, ngán often extends its large, long tentacles to breathe and find food. When the water's surface becomes disturbed and rippled, ngán quickly burrows into the mud to hide.
During the season of Quang Ninh ngán, fishermen often have to wade deep into the mud before they can retrieve the ngán, so this work requires great perseverance. Many people say that nowhere is ngán as delicious as the ngán found in the Bach Dang estuary, on the border between Quang Ninh Province and Hai Phong City.
Quang Ninh residents prepare ngán in a wide variety of dishes, including grilled ngán, steamed ngán, ngán porridge, ngán salad, stir-fried glass noodles with ngán, stir-fried rice vermicelli with ngán, ngán soup with Malabar spinach, and even ngán blood wine.
Ngán blood wine.
Ngán is highly nutritious; its meat contains protid, glucid, lipid, and many essential vitamins and minerals. Moreover, ngán meat contains compounds that help release sex hormones when absorbed by the body.
Its name means “bored,” but eating it is never boring. The usual appetizer is ngán blood wine: live ngán are shelled, and their blood drips into the liquor, giving it a blood-red color. Ngán blood wine can be drunk repeatedly without getting drunk, and is also considered a nutritious liquor for men.
Ngán blood wine.
For those reluctant to drink it raw, the liquor can be warmed; this version is called ngán sakê wine and no longer has the fishy smell of live ngán. Ngán can be grilled or steamed; when steaming, it is usually tightly tied with string to prevent the liquid inside the ngán from escaping.
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Discerning diners steam it only briefly, as overcooking makes it less delicious. Steamed or grilled ngán usually has a salty taste followed by a sweet finish. Dipped in chili sauce mixed with seasoned salt, pepper, and fresh lime juice, and eaten with herbs, it leaves a lasting impression on anyone who tries it once.
Ngán soup. Photo: Dan Viet Newspaper.
Ngán porridge is also popular because the sweetness of the ngán blends into the porridge, giving it a rich flavor. To cook ngán porridge, first split the shells and remove the meat. Finely chop the meat, then stir-fry it until just cooked with fish sauce, pepper, fried shallots… before adding it directly to the pot of simmering porridge. Season to taste, then sprinkle with chopped scallions, cilantro, coriander, and pepper.
Steamed ngán. Photo: Internet.
Quang Ninh ngán can also be made into ngán salad, which is simple to prepare but exceptionally delicious. All it takes is one banana blossom and about 10 ngán to create a salad that diners will remember for a long time.
Ngán are usually easy to catch in summer and autumn, while in the cold winter, they lie deep beneath the mud, making them more difficult to harvest. In the past, ngán were plentiful and cheaper than blood cockles, but today they have become a rare and expensive delicacy.
Ngán are becoming increasingly rare and expensive. Illustrative photo: Internet.
At present, no place has yet been able to farm ngán on a large scale, and Quang Ninh ngán from the Bach Dang estuary has become scarce. Visitors to Ha Long Market can easily find large ngán with attractive coloring. However, these are usually brought in from southern Vietnam and have a milder flavor than locally sourced ngán.
