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. Congee is served as breakfast, lunch and dinner in Malaysia. But even when I don’t feel sick, I still find it as satisfying meal. Well, my first time cooking congee with my mom helping me on the method. She cooks in a rice cooker.

“Murukku, a Tamil word meaning ‘twisted’, is a deep-fried savoury snack made from rice flour and urad dal flour, shaped through a mould and fried until crisp. It’s a crunchy snack with a mild flavour, often enjoyed with tea or coffee. Variations in shape, size, spicing, and ingredients across South India create a diverse array of murukku types, each with its own fans.”

My congee is cooked in rice cooker, has prawn heads and chicken stock, fish fillets and minced pork, garnished with leftovers rocket leaves, fried shallots, and colourful murukku for a change. Let’s cook!!!

Ingredients

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 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

some leftovers rocket leaves
some murukku
fried shallots
soy sauce

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. Spoon enough congee onto bowl. Next scatter some leftovers rocket leaves, murukku, and fried shallots. Drizzle some soy sauce. Serve immediately.

Note: You can use any ingredients of your choice. You may add more minced pork say about 50-100 g. Or if you like and can find 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 put fried eggs, ginger pickles, Chinese doughnut, or fried tofu. Or create your own flavour ingredients. You can use vegetables, or box ready stock or cube packet stocks.

https://helenscchin.com/2025/07/06/minced-pork-fish-congee-with-rocket-leaves-and-colourful-murukku

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