Learning to cook Imbao Soup ala FoodBlogger Style

As of April 02, 2011, we were having a get together with friends at the dorm from where I’m staying, I went to Piapi Public Market at Boulevard Davao City to buy some medium size tomatoes to prepare Seafood Imbao Soup ala home style cooking with a homey feeling [clam soup] with the help of cooking mentor Yvette Ann Flores.

We had all the ingredients all lined-up:
1 kilo Imbao Shells cleaned.
2 pieces tomatoes cut in halves.
1 onion leaves  cut in 1 1/2 inches in length.
2 pieces lemon grass tied and knotted.
1 piece ginger skinned, sliced diagonally.
1 onion bulb, skinned, sliced.

Boil 6 mugs of water in a pot, as I was about to throw in the ingredients, Yvette told me to drop one by one by order – tomatoes, ginger, onion bulb sliced, onion leaves, 1 lemon grass, and cover the pot for a minute.

After a minute, open the pot put in the Imbao Shells, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt of your choice whether rock or iodized salt to taste, put in the remaining lemon grass, slow down the gas stove flame, bring it to simmer for 30 seconds and serve [the term use in cooking imbao soup is pakuratan – because shell foods seem to cook easily when heated a little, somewhat similar to poaching]

Serves 4 persons.

Note: overcooking Imbao Shell Soup for more than 30 seconds leaves the shell open and the meat jumps off. Imbao Shell maybe be semi closed and intact – you don’t want to eat the hard shell when serving right? I.m just kidding..

Photo Credits:
A Scientist in the Kitchen