Shelled, frozen baby clams, available in most Asian supermarkets, work very well with this dish. The more exotic razor clams make an excellent alternative.

In Vietnam, large rice crackers, roughly the size of a vinyl record, are sold at local markets or by roaming street vendors. Outside Vietnam they can be purchased in Asian supermarkets. Heat them in an oven or over a grill and they will puff up within seconds.

60 g cellophane noodles

oil, for frying

2 lemongrass stems, white part only, thinly sliced

1 long red chilli, thinly sliced

500 g shelled baby clams, or 1.3 kg clams in their shells (see Note)

5 spring onions, thinly sliced

½ handful mint, chopped

2 teaspoons fish sauce teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 large rice crackers

Soak the noodles in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain and cut into 2 cm pieces.

Heat a little oil in a wok. Stir-fry the lemongrass and chilli for 1–2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the shelled clams and toss for 2–3 minutes. Add the spring onion, mint and noodles and continue tossing. Lastly, add the fish sauce and pepper. Season with salt, if necessary.

Serve the clams on a platter with the rice crackers. To eat, place a small amount of the clam mixture on a piece of rice cracker.

Note: If you are using clams in their shells, roughly chop 1 long red chilli and 1 lemongrass stem. Add to a saucepan with 375 ml of beer. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Add the clams, cover and simmer for 3–5 minutes, until the clams have just opened. Cool slightly, then remove the clams from their shells. If the clams are large, cut them in half.