“Portuguese” Barbecued Clams – World Spice

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons Assam Sambal (recipe follows)
• 2 pounds Manila or littleneck clams, purged
• 1/2 English cucumber, seeds removed and cut into bite-size chunks
• Small handful of laksa leaves (also known as rau ram or Vietnamese coriander, can be found at Asian grocery stores)
• For the Assam Sambal:
• 1/2 cup dried red chilies (we used Thai chiles )
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon Balichão paste **
• 1 large onion, minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
• 1/2 cup Tamarind Extract **
• 2 ounces palm sugar **
• 2 tablespoons Filipino cane vinegar **
• 1 teaspoon salt