Clam & Papaya Stew (Remis & Betik Masak Lemak)
a RARE & UNIQUE dish from Singapore's Ubin Island!
we have always been SO lucky to be finding ourselves in the most precious and fruitful cooking experiences, taught by culinary custodians of the different communities around Singapore. from hijacking a fishing trip with islander makciks (aunties) of Pulau Semakau, to recently being invited to go offshore again to cook with Mdm Noor Riah on Pulau Ubin, an island she once called home.
now in her 70s, Mdm Noor Riah reminisces her time growing up on Pulau Ubin and learning to cook from her mother. she fondly remembers having to go out to the intertidal areas when the tide is low to hunt for remis or Flower Clams & subsequently climbing their papaya tree to pick a slightly underripe papaya for the dish. for the preparation, she specifically directed me to use a papaya with its skin composition to be ‘60% green & 40% yellow/orange’.
not only the does this Remis & Betik Masak Lemak reflect the lost culture of foraging in this part of the world, the SUPER EASY methods of making the dish show the simple ways of how coastal/islander communities in Singapore lived in the past.
this dish ended up to be one of the most alluring things I’ve ever tasted. even with being raised in a Singaporean Malay household, this dish took me by surprise since it’s something I’ve never come across before! the fresh clams/remis lended a beautiful natural sweetness to the creamy coconut milk, the addition of ikan bilis & dried shrimp in the rempah amplifies the umami of the dish and the fresh basil brightens it all up so beautifully!
I am happier then ever to have inherited this culinary piece of Pulau Ubin history, and I hope you’ll enjoy making (and EATING) this as much as I did.
Love, Azfar
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(this content piece was created in collaboration with Wan’s Ubin Journal, founded by Syazwan, Mdm Noor Riah’s son. follow them on IG!)
Clam & Papaya in Coconut Milk (Remis & Betik Masak Lemak)
(serve 4)
1kg fresh clams, cleaned and soaked insult water for 20 mins to remove any sand (you can use Venus clams (Lala), flower clams or batik clams)
1/2 of a slightly unripe papaya (sliced)
500ml coconut milk
400ml water
1/2 turmeric leaf, knotted
3 stalks lemon basil (kemangi) / thai basil, picked
2 tsp sugar
salt, to taste
rempah paste:
1 tbsp dried shrimp
10g dried anchovies (ikan bilis)
1/2 tbsp black peppercorns, lightly toasted
5 shallots, peeled
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp turmeric powder
directions
using a blender or mortar, puree/pound the paste ingredients until fine.
in a pot, combine the cleaned clams water. cover with a lid and bring it up to a gentle simmer until the clams start to open up. using a spoon, skim off the white foam which floats to the surface and discard.
add the rempah paste, coconut milk and unripe papaya, stir well and continue to simmer uncovered until the papaya is soft but not disintegrated. then add the basil leaves and season with salt and sugar. stir through and cook for another 30 seconds.
serve with steamed rice, ulam-ulaman (raw herbs) and sambal belachan. an amazing accompaniment to this dish would be our VERY OWN artisanal Queenfish Sambal or Baby Squid Sambal!
we make our nOm sambals are in LIMITED quantities! click here to try them out!!
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