HK Congee 港式粥

My mother's brother married a lady from Hong Kong (HK), which means my aunt is from HK. When I was 15, my uncle and aunt came to stay with us when our parents took a vacation. My aunt cooks very well and would cook for us everyday - it was nice to have a change of menu from my mom's cooking. Please do not misunderstand, my mom cooks very well too.

I was always hovering around the kitchen checking out what new dishes she was making. One of the things I learnt from my aunt was the technique of making smooth and silky HK congee. First, season the uncooked rice with salt and oil for about an hour before cooking. This salt and oil combination helps in the disintegration of the rice grains. (If you study the rice grains closely after seasoning for an hour, you will see many crack lines in the grains.) The second tip is to add the rice only when water is boiling, as the sudden change of temperature 'shocks' the rice grains into rapid expansion. Last but not least, stir the congee regularly especially during the last part of cooking. All of these actions accelerate the process of 'breaking-up' rice. Stirring also helps to create a smooth silky texture and prevents a crust from forming on the bottom of the pan.

There are many different ingredients you can add to congee - popular options include pork and century egg, OR chicken, OR fish, OR beef, OR meatballs, OR seafood, OR a mix of many things.....just pick your choice. If using meat, season with soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper and cornstarch prior to adding to congee. In HK, deep-fried peanuts, vermicelli and you-tiao (chinese crullers) are commonly added to give the congee an extra crunch.

So are you ready to make your own smooth congee? Here's the recipe..... 

HK CONGEE RECIPE

Serves 2

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Ingredients

Congee

3/4 cup (= 1 rice cup or 160g) white rice - jasmine or short grain

2 tsp cooking oil

1 tsp salt

10 cups (2400 ml) chicken stock and/or water (see * Note)

Water for adding later - up to 2 cups/500 ml

* Note: I prefer to use some chicken stock as it adds a richer flavor.  I use 1/2 chicken stock and 1/2 water.

Toppings & Seasoning

Meat or seafood of your choice

  (slice and season with soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper and cornstarch)

Egg or century egg (optional)

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Scallion, chopped

Vermicelli and peanuts, deep-fried (optional)

Steps:

1) Wash rice thoroughly, drain and season rice with 2 tsp cooking oil and 1 tsp salt for an hour.

2) After an hour, add 10 cups chicken stock (and/or water) to a large pot over high heat and bring to a boil. I prefer to use some chicken stock as it adds a richer flavor. Once stock/water comes to a boil, add the seasoned rice. Cook rice in hot boiling stock/water for 10 minutes.

3) Reduce to medium heat and cook the congee for about 1.5 hours. I usually leave the pot semi-covered so the congee will not boil over. Stir the congee regularly to avoid crust forming on the bottom of pan. If a thick gooey layer forms, just scrape it with a wooden spoon.    

4) Add more water to the congee as needed as some will evaporate upon cooking. Stir congee constantly during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Always stir in one direction which helps create a smooth silky texture. Right before serving, turn up heat to medium-high and add meat or seafood, egg (optional) and salt to taste. Do not cook for too long as the ingredients will continue to cook in the hot congee even after being scooped into a bowl.

5) Top with scallions, dash of pepper, deep-fried vermicelli (optional) and peanuts (optional) before serving.

6) Crispy vermicelli can be easily made at home by deep-frying broken up rice vermicelli in hot oil. Test that the oil is hot enough by frying 1 small strand of vermicelli first, it should magically float and puff up into a white crispy stick in 1-2 seconds. Add a bunch of them at one time, remove from oil quickly once they puff up before they turn brown.