Steve Wertz wrote:
> I bought all sorts of strange stuff at a newly-opened oriental
> market in Austin last week (Mt Supermarket - not unlike a Ranch
> 99, but with less ethnicities represented).
>
> I know how to use all this stuff except for "Boiled Apple Snail
> Meat". They're pretty nice looking meats, vacuum-packed so it'll
> last a while in the freezer - at least until I get really drunk
> and try something with it.
>
> But I figure maybe I should ask here first.
>
> This website says they usually carry parasite called "rat
> lungworm" (MMMmmm!) and should be cooked well to kill it off.
> http://www.applesnail.net/
>
> But doesn't give any recipes. While I do see some recipes out
> there on the net, it's more fun to ask here and hear from people
> who have actually tried them.
>
> [Note that is cross-posted to r.f.cooking and alt.food.asian]
>
> -sw

i sometimes get these from a Vietnamese grocer in
the town next to mine. the stuff i get is imported
from VN, cooked and frozen. yours is probably the
exact same thing. well, as for cooking these apple
snails i really haven't a clue but i had a really
nice noodle soup in VN called "Bun Oc" [i can't type
VN text. it has some weird accents...], you already
know "Bun" = a generic term for noodles, and for
this soup they use fresh rice noodles, not too fine
and not flat. "Oc" = a generic term for shells, in
this case they use apple snails. i've never made
the broth from scratch however. i just buy the
cubes from the same VN grocer there's a picture
of the soup on the packaging so if you want to know
what the soup looks like try finding the cubes.
there's also instructions on the back. if you can't
find them i'll pick one up and take a picture to
show you.

they eat these snails too in Cambodia. i was going
through my Cambodia
[http://bonvivantnl.fotopic.net/c692688.html] and VN
[http://bonvivantnl.fotopic.net/c702063.html] food
pix but couldn't find any of the snail soup

give them a go, SW. nobody i know wants to even try
them. they are meaty, a bit slimy like whelks
[nice!]. i find it easier to eat if i slice them
thinly first else it takes some time to chew and
you might end up swallowing the whole thing.

besides using them in soups i think i like them best
steamed and eaten with a spicy lemongrass dipping
sauce. and a few litres of VN 'fresh beer'! [but i
have to make another trip to VN for that]