My Cooking Journal 13 - Chinese Fish Porridge (鱼片粥)

If you want to prepare a quick, simple and satifying meal for your family, you can try the one-pot approach that is to cook rice and ingredients together in a pot. I am referring to cooking the rice into soft- thickening texture (which is commonly known as "porridge" or "congee") complete with ingredients that you like.  

 

I prefer to cook the porridge in a rice cooker as it is easier, faster and you need not worry of porridge getting burnt on the base. When cooking porridge on a gas stove, you need to stir frequently to get the consistent texture and to avoid the porridge burnt on the base. So in a rice cooker, all you need to do is to add the necessary ingredients and water at right times and provide a good stir when necessary to make a good consistent texture.

I would be using fresh King fish (Known as "Batang" locally) as the main ingredient.

Ingredients:



Sliced King Fish soaked in salt water

1. 200g to 300g King (Batang) Fish - cut into thin slices and soaked in salt water
2. Century Egg - Remove shells and chopped into small pieces
3. 4 nos. medium size Dried Scallop - Soaked in water
4. 2 nos. Fish Cake - pan fried the fish cat & cut into thin slices
5. 1 cup rice - to serve 2 adult & 2 toddlers
6. Water 
7. 2 cloves of garlic - cut into slices
8. 4-5 slices of ginger 
9. 2 tablespoons preserved chinese vegetable (cabbage)
10. Fried shallot and chopped coriander- for garnish
11. Dash of pepper and sesame oil
12. Fish sauce - to taste

 


   

Method:

1. Wash rice thoroughly in pot, add dried scallops including water that you used to soaked the scallop and then add with 1 litre of water. Put pot into rice cooker and press down the "cook" button. When steam starts to rise from the rice cooker, add in slices garlic and ginger. Let it cooked till the "cook" light off. Then add more water (half of the pot) and stir well to give an consistent texture, press down the cook button again and continue to let it cook.
2. When the porridge boils, add more water to almost 3/4 full. Let it cook till boils again.  
3. This time you will see the porridge texture become more thick, smooth and consistent. Add in preserved vegetable. Stir and mix well. Let it cook for about 10 minutes. 
4. Finally, add in slices fish (discard the salt water) and stir well. Let it cook for another 5-7 minutes.
5. Off the rice cooker and serve porridge in a bowl. Put slices fish cake and chopped century egg on top of porridge. Garnish with chopped coriander and fried shallot. Add fish sauce, sesame oil and pepper as desired.

 

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