This vibrant dish comes from the Kuti Shack, Brendan Roach’s much-loved café nestled in the sandhills near the beach where Goolwa pipis are harvested. ‘Kuti’ is the Ngarrindjeri word for pipi, a reminder that the local Aboriginal people have been enjoying these shellfish for more than 19,000 years.

  • Prep5 minutes
  • Cook10 minutes
  • Total15 minutes
  • Serves6

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg Goolwa PipiCo Fresh Pipis
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 500 g pork mince
  • 400 g snake beans, cut into 5 cm lengths
  • ¼ cup XO sauce
  • ¼ cup Shaoxing rice wine

To Garnish

  • 2 tablespoons toasted black sesame seeds
  • 2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds
  • 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fried shallots

Method

  1. Place the pipis into a large pot over medium-high heat. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for about 4 minutes, shaking the pot occasionally until the pipis have opened. Drain, reserving the natural cooking liquid.
  2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok over high heat. Add the pork mince and spread it evenly across the pan. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, allowing the mince to caramelise before breaking it up.
  3. Add the snake beans and continue cooking for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pork is golden and the beans are tender but still have a little bite. It’s perfectly fine, and desirable, for some of the pork to stick to the pan as those caramelised bits add plenty of flavour.
  4. Stir through the XO sauce and cook for a further 2 minutes until fragrant.
  5. Add the cooked pipis to the pan. Pour in the Shaoxing rice wine, scraping up any caramelised bits from the base of the pan. Add a splash of the reserved natural cooking liquid or water if needed, then simmer gently for 1 to 2 minutes until everything is well coated.
  6. Scatter over the toasted sesame seeds, roasted peanuts and fried shallots. Serve immediately.

Cook’s Tip: For the best flavour, allow the pork mince to caramelise before stirring. Shaoxing rice wine adds depth and authenticity to the dish, but dry sherry makes a suitable substitute if needed. If your pot is not large enough to cook 1.5kg of pipis at once, cook in 500g batches to ensure even cooking.