What’d You Do Last Weekend?
Heading to a party where there will be lots of wine, and not sure what to take? How about some simple savory cookies - biscotti and sables made for wine pairing?
Fish Congee
I was one of those weird half-Chinese kids who didn’t like congee. When my extended family would get together, they’d make giant pots of the stuff with an array of toppings, and I would hide in my bowl of ramen. I just didn’t think it had much flavor – plain boiled rice porridge.
As I grew older, more and more of my friends were eating congee, or raving about conge places on Bowery or some such place, but I was still eating my ramen noodles. It wasn’t until we were in Singapore recently that I tried it again – and I think it was because I had overdosed on crazy adventurous food and I just needed something comforting. I caught a cold on my last two days there and I was miserable every morning, so a steaming hot bowl of bland stuff, punctuated with salty bits of whatever was just what I needed.
When I got back, we decided to make some of our own – and it was yummy, but the texture wasn’t quite right. Somewhere along the way, I got it. I learned to like congee, and here I was complaining about the texture not being smooth and creamy enough. With my mom and grandmother coming to town, I knew it would be something they’d happily make for us – it was always comfort food for them too.
Congee
Uncooked jasmine rice
(the amount can vary – but as an example, 2½ c rice = 1 large stockpot of congee)
Water
A big pot
- Soak jasmine rice overnight in a large bowl.
- The next day, wash the soaked rice and drain it as much as possible.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil (start with ½ a pot of water and progress from there). It is a good idea to bring a second pot or kettle of water to boil at the same time because you will likely need it (and you’ll need it boiling).
- When the water is boiling rapidly, add the rice and stir vigorously to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan (this is inevitable, but it’s best to start with a clean bottom). Be careful not to let it boil over, and add more boiling water as you need it. The goal is to have the rice grains ‘bloom’ and produce a velvety smooth porridge. Keep adding water, stirring, and cooking down until you achieve this.
- Ladle into bowls and set out a large selection of toppings that folks can use to flavor their congee.
Suggested congee toppings:
- Chinese doughnuts
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Chinese sausage
- BBQ pork
- Fried peanuts
- Preserved turnips
- Boiled eggs
- Chinese black bean sauce
- Duck/pork confit
- Soy sauce
- Garlic oil
Fish Congee
- Marinate a lightly flavored fish (halibut is perfect) in soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil and salt for 2 hours.
- Add this to the boiling congee when the texture has been achieved, and the fish will cook in about a minute.
To freeze and reuse
- Pack well in airtight containers and use quickly.
- Defrost in the fridge or in the microwave, but then add it to a small amount of boiling water on the stove. While in the freezer congee has a tendency to dry out, so you’ll want to add water to the pan to get it nice and loose.
More Info
Congee from around the world