Author Notes
I think you either really love congee or really don't. But you never know until you try it. This one is good to start with as the ingredients are readily available. I always think of congee as something concocted from left-overs, so I use cooked rice. All different types of meats, vegetables, and fixings can be used as well, depending on what you have on hand. —monkeymom
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Ingredients
- Gingery Congee
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1
chicken drumstick
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1 tablespoon
vegetable oil
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1/2 pound
ground pork, 1/3 for congee, 2/3 for topping
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2
slices of fresh ginger
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2 cups
cooked rice (almost any type)
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3-4 cups
water
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salt
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8
napa cabbage leaves, sliced
- Pork and Crispy Shallots
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4 teaspoons
soy sauce
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1 teaspoon
cooking sherry or rice wine
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1/2 teaspoon
brown sugar
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2/3 of the 1/2 lb of ground pork listed above
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4-5 tablespoons
vegetable oil
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4
shallots, sliced thinly
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1
clove garlic, minced
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1
green onion, sliced thinly
Directions
- Gingery Congee
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Put large pot on medium to high heat. Add chicken thigh and brown (you can also just use chicken stock instead of including the thigh).
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Add oil and about 1/3 of ground pork and ginger slices. Fry until pork browns.
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Add 3 cups water and rice and about 1/2 tsp salt. Stir to mix.
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Heat to boiling, then turn to simmer. Cook for ~30 minutes on a simmer, stirring the pot occasionally to prevent sticking. In the meantime, prepare the toppings.
- Pork and Crispy Shallots
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Add 2 tsp soy sauce, sherry, and sugar to the remaining pork. Mix together well (hands work well here).
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Add oil to medium size pan or wok.
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When oil is very hot, add about 1/3-1/2 of the shallots. Fry until deep brown and crispy. Using a slotted spoon remove shallots and drain oil from them back into the pan. Then place shallots on paper towels. Repeat with remaining shallots.
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Once all shallots have been fried, add green onions and garlic to the remaining oil.
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Add pork and toss around the pan. Cook meat through.
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Add 2 tsp of soy sauce and 1 Tbsp of water. Mix and let liquid reduce slightly. Remove to a bowl.
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Add napa cabbage and 1/2 cup more water to congee. Stir and simmer about 10-15 minutes or until the rice is done to your desired consistency.
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For serving, ladle congee into bowls. Add pork and shallots on top, serving the remaining on the side.
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