Congee is Chinese rice porridge, which can be served plain, sweet, or savoury. It is actually pretty bland in flavour. When additional ingredients such as meat, fish, and flavourings are added while preparing the congee, which is most often served as a meal on its own, especially for persons who are ill.

To me, it is the ultimate Chinese comfort food, that my grandma and mom cook for us. Their recipes have fish brain, intestines’, Chinese donut stick pieces, minced pork, bean sprouts, and at times fried tofu. I remembered grandma congee ingredients also have salted duck eggs, century eggs, preserved olive leaves, spring onions, black mushroom, dried shrimps, Chinese pickled vegetables, fish, fried oysters and scallops, fresh ginger sticks, fried shallots and poached chicken.

My congee is cooked in rice cooker, has prawn heads and chicken stock, fish fillets and minced pork, chicken pieces, garnished with chicken pieces, leftovers mixed vegetables with spring onion (no more spring onion): recipe link below, fried shallots and XO chili sauce. I got to have chili in it, that’s me chili lovers. It’s comforting delicious and flavourful congee. Let’s cook!!!!

Ingredients

Drumsticks stock -chicken pieces (serve 4-6 people)

12 drumsticks
4-6 c water, just enough to cover the drumsticks slightly above 1”
6 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
1 L chicken stock (bought)
2 Tsp chicken powder stock (OPT)
black peppercorns, pound a bit

Fish and minced pork congee

2-3 c cooked rice
1 ” fresh ginger
1 1/2 Tbs minced garlic
1/2 Tbs oyster sauce
1/2 Tbs soy sauce
6-10 prawn heads, fry with 1 Tbs oil and 1 Tsp minced garlic, once turned red, smashed and cook with 4 c water, salt and pepper to make stock
2 drumsticks plus 4 c water; 1 ” ginger, salt, black peppercorns and 4 garlic cloves to make stock
200-250 g minced pork
200 g white tail snapper, fillets
2 Tsp olive oil
1/2 Tsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 Tsp minced garlic
1 Tsp Shaoxing wine
1 Tsp soy sauce
1/4 Tsp salt, and extra
1 Tsp pepper and extra
water, if necessary

Garnish
chicken pieces
leftovers mixed vegetables
fried shallots
XO Chili sauce, my friend gave me (OPT)

Method

Drumsticks stock-chicken pieces: Do in advance a day or two

To make the drumsticks stock: In a pot, add drumsticks, water enough to cover drumsticks above 1inch and bring it to a simmer on low heat about 35 minutes. As it simmers, skim the foam (impurities) off the top with a fine-mesh skimmer or a spoon. When time up 35 minutes simmering drumsticks stock, strain stock through sieve into another pot. (I usually line it with a muslin cloth).

Add remaining stock ingredients into pot with drumsticks and lower the heat to simmer very gently for 1-2.5 hours. The longer the stock, the more flavour it will have, but the drumsticks will lose flavour. Remove the drumsticks from the pot once it has cooked. Let drumsticks cool and remove meat from bones, and set aside. Add in 1 L chicken stock and powder stock into stock for more flavour. Bring it to boil for about 20-25 minutes and check seasoning.

Note: Keep chicken pieces extra in an airtight container in fridge for 2-4 days. To have more stock for next day or two add in 1-2 extra cup of water and 1-2 Tsp powder stock into stock. Bring it to boil and check seasoning. Switch off hob. If you have leftover stock and when the stock had cool completely, spoon into sterilized jars with tight lids, label name and date make before you refrigerate them.

When you want the chicken pieces, use a clean dry spoon to scoop the amount you want. You can add the chicken pieces with anything. At least you have ready cooked meat. Save you time. You can freeze them if you want to keep them for more than 4 weeks to 6 weeks.

Fish and minced pork congee

In the rice cooker, add cooked rice, two stocks (2 c each stock first), fresh ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce to pot and turn on rice cooker. Uncovered and stir occasionally for 45 minutes; to make sure it’s not sticking to the bottom or until congee is smooth and no longer grainy and broken. Add more prawns or chicken stock and water if necessary.

In a bowl, combine minced pork, ginger, garlic, Shaoxing wine, salt, pepper, soy sauce, and oil. Mix well and set aside in the refrigerator. When congee is nearly done; has the right consistency: creamy. Add minced pork to congee, breaking down minced pork, and simmer until minced pork is cooked, for about 10 minutes.

When congee is done, change setting to ‘keep warm’. Add fish fillets to rice cooker. Stir and cover for 5 minutes or until it is cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Reheat chicken pieces and leftovers mixed vegetables

Bring out chicken pieces from freezer to fridge one day in advance. Then out of fridge to thawed on bench top. Heat the chicken pieces on plate in microwave for 1-2 minutes. Depending on how many pieces; might need 30 seconds to 1 minute more.

Once chicken pieces are reheated and hot, bring out from microwave. Now put the leftovers mixed vegetables in the microwave, heat for 1-2 minutes depending on how much you are using. When done heated and hot, bring out of microwave.

Assemble the bowl

Spoon some congee into bowls. Garnish with heated hot chicken pieces and leftovers mixed vegetables and serve with white pepper, and/or XO chili sauce (OPT).

Note: You can use any ingredients of your choice. Or you can add the ingredients like my grandma and mom does as mention above. You might want it more liquid, so add more stock or water. You can omit XO chili sauce. You can put spring onion, Chinese doughnut, or fried tofu. Or create your own flavour ingredients. You can use vegetables, or box ready stock or cube packet stocks instead of making the stock.

https://helenscchin.com/2019/07/12/fish-and-minced-pork-congee-chicken-and-mixed-vegetables/

For the recipe link: Mixed vegetables with spring onion:

https://helenscchin.com/2019/07/11/mixed-vegetables-with-spring-onion/

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