Last Updated on March 13, 2021 by Simon Fan
There are many exciting ways to cook mussels, beyond the familiar French-style steamed mussels.
For example, you can follow the Spanish way by cooking them with chorizo, toasted fideos, tomatoes, and pimentón de la Vera, and be rewarded handsomely with a bowl of joy.
Or make midye dolma—Turkish stuffed mussels with aromatic rice, herbs, and spices. They’ll instantly transport you to the shores of Istanbul.
Crave Thai food? Steam your mussels with coconut milk, fish sauce, lemongrass, and curry paste; then garnish them with cilantro or Thai basil.
My dish here will show you how to incorporate Chinese flavors into your mussel dish. First, steam the mussels with Shaoxing wine, ginger, and scallions. Then use the cooking liquid flavored with mussel juice to cook the rice noodles and Chinese sausage. Finally, toss the noodles with the steamed mussels and tomatoes. There you have it: a simple and exciting one-dish meal!
Mussels with Chinese sausage and rice noodles
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1-inch (2.5 cm) piece of ginger, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 scallions, white parts cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces and green parts thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 cup (240 ml) water
1.3 lb (600 g) medium-sized mussels, scrubbed and debearded
2 cups (480 ml) water
2 oz (60 g) Chinese sausage, thinly sliced diagonally
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
4 oz (115 g) dried thin rice noodles
7 oz (200 g) tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon Zhenjiang (aka Chinkiang) vinegar
Red chili flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon sesame oil or chili oil, for garnish
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Directions
- Place a wok or skillet over medium heat until hot, then swirl in the oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the ginger, garlic, and scallion whites, and stir-fry until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and stir for 15 seconds. Pour in the water and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the mussels. Cover and cook, shaking the wok from time to time, until the mussels start to open up, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the opened mussels to a bowl, and discard any unopened ones. Strain the cooking liquid.
- Rinse the wok and dry with a towel. Add the strained liquid, the 2 cups of water, Chinese sausage, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then add the rice noodles. Cook until the noodles are just cooked through (add a bit more water if there’s little liquid left in the wok), 4 to 5 minutes.
- Mix in the mussels, tomatoes, vinegar, sesame oil, and chili flakes. Toss and cook for 1 minute for the flavors to combine. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Serve garnished with the scallion greens.
