Cơm Hến Recipe (Vietnamese Baby Clam Rice)

Prepare the peanuts by stir-frying them with 2 tablespoons of Annatto oil until they have a lightly golden color. Remove the peanuts with some of the heated oil.
Retain some of the Annatto oil in the skillet to stir-fry the minced white onion stalk.
Quickly add the clam to the skillet to avoid the meat from shrinking and becoming chewy.
Season the mixture with 1.5 teaspoons of ground pepper, a teaspoon of chili powder, a teaspoon of sugar, and 2 teaspoons of fermented shrimp sauce.
Stir the clam meat evenly before adding a few basil leaves for an extra appealing aroma.
Heat the skillet with half a teaspoon of Annatto oil to stir-fry the minced lemongrass stalk.
Continue to add two teaspoons of the fermented shrimp sauce with two ladles of boiled clam water and a teaspoon of chili powder. Mix until the concoction becomes thickened.
As for the accompanying soup, add a teaspoon of the fermented shrimp sauce to the remaining boiled clam water and stir until the sauce completely dissolves.
Assemble the bowl with rice at the bottom with toppings like sliced giant elephant ear stems, sliced banana blossom, and stir-fried peanuts.
Make sure to serve cơm hến alongside the seasoned soup with a few ginger slices.