Today we are sharing one of the most asked recipes- congee. Congee is basically rice porridge which is quite common in many Asian countries, but the making of it differs in different countries and regions. Cantonese congee is the most famous and popular one in China, with the basis of plain congee(白粥), there are many congee dishes cooked with different ingredients, most famous ones are Sampan congee, fish congee, congee with hundred year egg and pork. Congee is fundamental in Cantonese food culture, it is eaten as breakfast, lunch, dinner and even late night snack. Congee(especially the plain congee) is regarded as the perfect food for the sick, e.g. when you have a stomach problem, it is easy to digest and it soothes and warms up the stomach without adding too much burden to it.
Congee can be eaten with many side dishes, some of our favourite are fried peanuts, preserved olives and spicy fermented tofu.
Claypot Congee 🍲with Shiitake, Salted Radish and Pak Choi 砂鍋粥
Equipment
- 1 Clay Pot optional
Ingredients
- 150 g Rice
- 2 L Hot Water
- 1 tsp Oil
- 100 g Shiitake Mushrooms or 20g dried shiitake
- 70 g Salted Radish/Preserved Turnip(甜菜脯)
- 1 Pak Choi
- 1 Stalk Scallion
- 4 cubes Fermented Tofu optional as side dish
- 2 tbsp Fried Peanuts optional as side dish
- 2 tbsp Preserved Olives 橄欖菜 optional as side dish
Instructions
- Rinse the rice then add to the clay pot(or a pot), add 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp oil , mix everything and let the rice marinate for 30 mins. This step can help the rice to be cooked quicker and become smoother later.
- Cut salted radish, shiitake(if you use dried ones, soak them 2 hours beforehand), pak choi and scallion into small pieces
- Add 2 liters of hot water to the pot, bring it to boil(stir in between), then add salted radish and shiitake, let it cook over medium-low heat for 1 hour, stir in between to prevent sticking
- When the congee is thick and smooth, add salt to taste and add pak choi, stir and let it cook for 30s more, add scallion and serve with fermented tofu, fried peanuts and preserved olives