Stir-fried cockles with chili and garlic

Stir-fried cockles with chili and garlic recipe videos

Stir-fried cockles with chili and garlic is a popular Southeast Asian seafood dish, often found in Malaysian, Thai, and Indonesian cuisines. It features small, briny bivalve mollusks (cockles) quickly stir-fried with a pungent and spicy paste made from fresh chilies, garlic, and often shallots, ginger, or lemongrass. The dish is typically finished with a splash of lime juice or tamarind for acidity and fresh herbs like cilantro or Thai basil.

🍽️ Nutrition at a glance

This dish is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate meal with a moderate amount of fat from the cooking oil. It is an excellent source of iron, zinc, and vitamin B12, with a rough calorie estimate of 150-200 kcal per serving.

Nutrition breakdown

Calories	170 kcal
Protein	22 g
Carbs	5 g
Fat	7 g
Fiber	1 g
Sugar	2 g
Sodium	480 mg
Iron	6.8 mg
Vitamin B12	18.4 mcg
Zinc	3.2 mg
Selenium	42.5 mcg
Copper	1.1 mg
Phosphorus	215 mg
Manganese	1.5 mg
Vitamin C	12 mg

Per 1 cup (180 g) · estimated, varies by recipe

💡 What's interesting

Culturally, this dish is a beloved 'wok hei' (breath of the wok) staple, showcasing the Southeast Asian love for bold, fresh, and fiery flavors. Nutritionally, cockles are a powerhouse of heme iron, which is more easily absorbed by the body than plant-based iron.