Easy noodle soup with Tai O style clam sauce

Frozen dumplings and hotpot-style seafood balls, chicken broth straight out of a carton, instant noodles and fresh spinach. It would have been just another noodle soup were not for the addition of a lovely sauce I bought in Hong Kong.

There was a time when I’d scoff at a dish like this. The inclusion of ready-to-pour broth, especially. Just a few years ago, I’d have insisted that the broth be homemade — chicken feet or necks slow cooked for at least four hours. I’d have said, quite snootily, that putting pre-made ingredients together isn’t really cooking but more of assembling.

But I’m way past that mentality. These days, I don’t see anything wrong with convenience. If using broth from a carton saves time and electricity, and especially if it means less stored heat in the house (that inevitably goes with long and slow cooking), I’ll take ready-made broth.

I’d have been content with the dish after it was assembled. The broth was flavorful enough because I boiled the seafood balls and dumplings in it. In the process, the chicken broth soaked up additional flavors. But I decided that the broth could be better.

I took out the jar of Tai O style clam sauce from the fridge, placed half a teaspoonful of the stuff on top of the noodles and I stirred everything together. Half a teaspoonful. That was all that my noodle soup needed to make the jump from just “okay” to something truly delicious.

What is Tai O style clam sauce?

Tai O is a fishing town on Lantau Island. The island is part of the New Territories that was leased by China to Britain for 99 years. The island, larger in area than Hong Kong island and Kowloon combined, is now home to the international airport and Disneyland. Tai O is on the southwest of Lantau Island.

In 1938, a man named Yick Cheong Ho established a shrimp paste brand in Tai O. The company still exists today. The clam sauce I used in my noodle soup is a product of Yick Cheong Ho’s company.

Tai O style clam sauce is made primarily with sun-dried clams. Richly textured. Full of umami goodness. Think XO sauce with clams instead of scallops. I bought the sauce at the Great Food Hall in the basement of Pacific Place in Admiralty, Hong Kong. I also bought a jar of Tai O style salted fish sauce which I added to fried rice.

Is Tai O clam sauce pricey? Yes, actually. But considering that you don’t need much to perk up a dish, I’d say the price is not unreasonable.