
Congee
A simple rice bowl perfect for a cold winter's day
Ingredients
2 tablespoons deep fried shallots
1 finely chopped spring onion
3 sprigs of picked coriander leaves
The Congee
½ thumb-size piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
1 spring onion, roughly chopped
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup of rice
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
1 litre of chicken stock
3 litres of water
The Soy Sauce
6 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon hot water
1 finely sliced seedless Birdseye chilli
Method
Preparation
- Peel and finely slice the ginger and then roughly chop the spring onion into 4-5cm lengths. Do not wash the rice, instead, massage 1 ½ tablespoons of vegetable oil into the rice grains and allow it to sit, soaking in the oil in a saucepan for 1 hour. After soaking the rice in oil, add the salt, white pepper, chicken stock and water to the pan along with the sliced ginger and spring onion.
Cooking
Place the saucepan on a high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to the lowest possible setting, then, whilst simmering, cover with a lid. Simmer for 1 ½ hours, then remove the lid and continue simmering until the congee has started to thicken. At this point, you can serve it as is, or continue boiling until the congee has reached your desired thickness, stirring occasionally so as not to stick at the bottom of the pan. My personal preference in terms of thickness is to keep it boiling until it has reached a ‘light oatmeal porridge’ thickness.
Mix the soy sauce ingredients together in a small bowl or ramekin and then serve with whichever condiments you prefer on the side.
2 tablespoons deep fried shallots
1 finely chopped spring onion
3 sprigs of picked coriander leaves
The Congee
½ thumb-size piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
1 spring onion, roughly chopped
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup of rice
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
1 litre of chicken stock
3 litres of water
The Soy Sauce
6 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon hot water
1 finely sliced seedless Birdseye chilli
Preparation
- Peel and finely slice the ginger and then roughly chop the spring onion into 4-5cm lengths. Do not wash the rice, instead, massage 1 ½ tablespoons of vegetable oil into the rice grains and allow it to sit, soaking in the oil in a saucepan for 1 hour. After soaking the rice in oil, add the salt, white pepper, chicken stock and water to the pan along with the sliced ginger and spring onion.
Cooking
Place the saucepan on a high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to the lowest possible setting, then, whilst simmering, cover with a lid. Simmer for 1 ½ hours, then remove the lid and continue simmering until the congee has started to thicken. At this point, you can serve it as is, or continue boiling until the congee has reached your desired thickness, stirring occasionally so as not to stick at the bottom of the pan. My personal preference in terms of thickness is to keep it boiling until it has reached a ‘light oatmeal porridge’ thickness.
Mix the soy sauce ingredients together in a small bowl or ramekin and then serve with whichever condiments you prefer on the side.