Friday, April 10, 2009

Quick Congee!

Plain congee garnish with carrot shreds & coriander leaves
Congee with enoki, carrot & coriander
During the recent lunch meet up with an ex colleague - Carolyn, she shared a very good idea that she learnt from a cooking video – how to shorten the cooking time for congee. I gave it a try, it works and therefore I did it again with the steps taken down. It is 10 minutes faster than my usual way of cooking congee. So, no worry about making Baby porridge, it becomes as easy as ABC. The secret is to breakdown the fiber of the rice gain by freezing it. So, you can wash the rice, clashed them if desired and put them in the freezer. Any time that you like to have a quick congee, just removed from freezer and within 20 minutes, a hot bowl of congee is there waiting for you. If you don’t want it that mushy, shorten the cooking time a little.

If you prefer it thinner, just add more water. It can be served with a variety of accompaniments, such as pickled turnips, salted peanuts, mustard greens etc. The other option that I did is adding enoki mushroom, carrot shreds, coriander leaves prior to remove from the heat. And season to taste with salt, light soy sauce and sesame oil.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins, plus 2 ½ hrs standing time

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g rice, washed and drained
° 750ml water
° 2 slices ginger (optional)

Method
1. Wash the rice and drain well. Put the rice in a plastic or metal container and freeze it for 2 – 2 ½ hours in the refrigerator.
2. Remove from the freezer and add 250ml water to it and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
3. Pour into the rice and ginger into a claypot or pot. Add the remaining water and bring to a boil. Simmer for another 15 minutes or until the congee is soft. If it is too thick, just add some water.
4. Ladle the congee into individual serving bowls and serve hot.

6 comments:

  1. Interesting idea! I'll have to try that sometime. I'm guessing that's uncooked rice that goes in the freezer? Thanks! :-)

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  2. haha what a timely recipe. I'm thinking of food I can eat after my wisdom teeth surgery next month

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  3. such an interesting way to make congee. my kids love congee ALOT. will definitely try this out.

    thanks for sharing!

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  4. yum! I need to try that... I love congee and have been looking for something similary quick to instant congee for some time...

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  5. Thanks all :) Thanks to Carolyn for this useful beautiful tip.

    Yes, it is uncooked rice.

    cheers :)

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  6. I know this is an older post, but I just came across it now. I like the idea of freezing the rice. Right now I use a slow cooker. It may not be the traditional way of making congee, but it works well for my busy schedule. Throw everything in the pot at night and it is ready for breakfast, or in the morning and I have it for dinner.

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