Homi with garlic chives and miso

“Homi” is the Okinawan dialect name for a type of small shell-less mollusc found around Japan and Okinawa. It is not commonly eaten, but on Izena Island it’s a local favourite. You need to be keen-eyed and sure-footed to gather them, but heading out at low tide on a bright sunny day is sure to yield enough to make this simple stir-fry, to be served as part of a shared meal.

• serves

  4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups boiled homi (see note)
• 2 bunches of garlic chives
• 2 tbsp miso
• 1 tbsp mirin

Instructions

Heat a wok until smoking, then add the vegetable oil. Quickly brown the garlic, then toss in the homi and chives and stir-fry until the chives start to wilt.

Add the miso and mirin and toss until the miso is toasty and fragrant. Allow to cool for 1 minute, then serve.

Note

• To prepare the homi, boil whole for about 1 hour or until tender. Although not a substitute for homi, you could use this same recipe with mussels, oysters of even sliced chicken thigh fillet.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.