Home made clamp sabji/sukka

On the way to airport to drop my parents, i encountered a child selling clamps at the signal. With the intention to help, i approached her and finally bought it without bargain.

My parents sitting behind me were surprised on how i will cook it , since i never cooked any thing in my life apart from dal and rice. But my mom decided to use the time remaining to drive the airport to write all the instructions for cooking it.

i guess the biggest hurdle was cleaning it which i managed by calling another friend since mom and dad were not reachable.

But in the end the dish turned out to be delicious. As i researched more,  i realized that clamps are actually good for health

[The vitamin B12 in clams helps in cell reproduction that aids in maintaining health skin. Clams also contain riboflavin or vitamin B2 which helps in the proper development and functioning of the skin. The high protein and omega-3 fatty acid content of this food, too, is good for your skin, hair and nails. Clams are surprisingly high in iron]  Source : www.speedyremedies.com/are-clams-good-for-health.htm

Here is another interesting article from livestrong on the benefits of clam https://www.livestrong.com/article/5384-need-health-benefits-clams/

Ingredients for making Clamps Sukka/sabji

• Small/medium sized clamps, cleaned– 1 cup
• (The one I got had lot of sand. So it took 5-6 washes to clean sand)
• Onion, chopped - 2 big
• (You can modify the onion based on your preference. I prefer lot of onion in any dish)
• I picked all the powders available in the round masala box. My mom instructions was add 1/2 tsp of all masala available in box
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chili powder – 1&1/2 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• I was told that this paste when added to food helps in digestion. So sourced this for the first time from nearby shop
• Ginger/Garlic paste - ½ to 1 tsp
• Below items were recommended to top up the taste of the final sabji
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves – I randomly picked up some fresh leaves that I had sourced from market. Did not count them. But can vary based upon your taste
• Salt to taste    
• Olive Oil – 4 or 5 tbsp
• Cilantro – 2 tbsp
  

Here are the steps for preparing Clamps sabji

• Wash the clamps thoroughly in the running water.
• Chop the onion and cilantro.
• Place pan on medium flame and add oil into it.
• When oil heats up, add chopped onion. Fry till onion becomes soft.
• Then add ginger garlic paste. Fry till raw smell goes off from the paste. 
• Add all dry masala powder .Fry for 2 minutes
• Now add clamps and salt. 
  
• 
  
• Cover and cook till the clamps are cooked well.
• You can add little water, which will help the clamps to cook fast.
• When clamps are cooked, uncover the pan and try to remove the water from the mixture by turning flame medium to high flame.
  
• If you do not want the masala to be dry, then no need of this step.
• Lastly mix in the chopped cilantro.
• This clamps sukka can be served with chapathi or just with the plain rice and dal.

As a child at home, I have tried same sabji with dried clamps. This dish today with fresh clamps turned out to be better than my expectation