Congee is a staple dish in China which varies from region to region. White rice is boiled in 10-12 times its weight in water until it breaks down and becomes a thick porridge. Considered the ultimate comfort food, congee is eaten at any time of day. Savoury congee is often cooked with flavourful ingredients and is served with extra condiments and seasonings. I used a pressure cooker for mine, adapting this recipe from Serious Eats.
In a bowl combine 225g (½ lb) of minced pork with 2 cloves of minced garlic, a similar amount of minced fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon of Shaoxing wine, ½ a teaspoon of soy sauce, ¼ of a teaspoon each of salt and sugar, 1½ teaspoons of cornflour (cornstarch) and 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil. Mix well and set aside. Wash ½ a cup of short-grain rice until the water runs clear. Transfer to a pressure cooker, add 6 cups of light chicken stock and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Open the pressure cooker and make sure the congee is smooth and well-cooked and not sticking to the bottom of the pot. If you don’t have a pressure cooker you will have to cook the congee for approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally. When it’s cooked, add the pork mixture breaking it into small lumps. Add 1 cup of fresh or frozen corn kernels and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Check for seasoning – the congee should be mild to allow for the addition of other ingredients and condiments. I served mine with salted chicken egg yolks, fresh cut chilli in soy sauce, fried shallots and Laoganma brand crispy chilli oil. Spring onions (scallions) make a good garnish but I ran out so I served choy sum in oyster sauce as a side dish.
michelle picker cooks 