What perks you up, warms your tummy, and soothes away the chills of winter or fever?

Today, I’ll happily squeal,

''Hong-Kong style congee!''

Can you believe I spent almost all of my life harbouring a great disdain for rice porridge?!

During my recent trip to Hong Kong, I ate a mouthgasmic bowlful of Cantonese-style Congee which completely opened my eyes and tastebuds!!! The Cantonese make a wonderful bowl of congee. Incredibly silky-smooth and fragrant, their savoury rice porridge won a new convert in an instant!!

Achieving the silky texture of HK-style congee requires hours of stove time. Fortunately, I’ve heard of a tip that cuts the cooking time drastically without compromising on the final texture — freezing the uncooked rice grains overnight!!

DISH NAME (Lunch)

Cantonese-style Mushroom & Chicken Congee with Onion Aromas and Textures

WAIT!!! What do you mean, 'Onion Aromas and Textures'??!?!

I'm glad you asked!! =D This pot of congee is enhanced with the fragrance and textures of shallot oil, crisp fried shallots, and fresh spring onions. In addition, edible grilled onion ‘saucers’ add an stylish twist to an otherwise traditional, soul-full delicacy of an Asian household.

Component #1: Cantonese-style Mushroom & Chicken Congee

Using frozen rice in this congee makes it a breeze to whip up! The reason? As a rice grain freezes, the moisture in it expands and shatters it into tiny fragments. This way, the silky-smooth texture characteristic of Cantonese-style congee is achieved in a much shorter cooking time.

Ingredients Used in the Cantonese-style Mushroom & Chicken Congee
295g White Jasmine Rice, washed, drained, and frozen overnight
500g Chicken Thighs, sliced into thin strips
1 tsp Tapioca Starch
2 tsp Oyster Sauce
2 tsp Sunflower Oil
1.5L Hot Water
600ml Chicken Broth
400ml Goose Broth
250ml Onion Skin Water (onion skins soaked in hot water)
15 Dried Chinese Mushrooms, soaked in 300ml boiling water for 15 min
Ginger, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp Ground White Pepper
Splash of Soy Sauce
Sea Salt

How to Make the Cantonese-style Mushroom & Chicken Congee

Combine cornstarch, oyster sauce, and vegetable oil in a bowl. Add chicken, mix to coat each strip evenly in the marinade, and set aside till well-marinated (20 min).

Bring water, goose broth, chicken broth, onion skin water, and strained soaking mushroom water to a boil in a big pot. Add frozen rice to the pot and bring the contents to a boil again, stirring to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Simmer covered (Heat 5 on the electric stove) till the rice thickens, periodically stirring to prevent rice from sticking (30 min).

Add the julienned ginger and chicken into the pot, and stir and simmer till cooked (5 min). Stir in white pepper and salt to taste.

Component #2: Toppings

The addition of ginger, green onions, and coriander leaves literally bring the porridge to life. They add freshness, colour, bursts of flavour to the bowl. In addition, shallot oil and crisp fried shallots grace the congee with an appetising aroma and a diversified texture.

Congee is commonly served with you tiao (crullers) in Asia. I baked and cut up some butter croissants to replace the you tiao, since I didn't have time to make or buy any! =)

Crisp Fried Shallots
Shallot Oil
Ginger, freshly julienned
Green Onions, chopped
Coriander Leaves
Edible grilled onion ‘saucers’
Butter croissants, baked and snipped up into pieces

To make the Crisp Fried Shallots and Shallot OIl:
Peel and thinly slice shallots. Put the skins into hot water to get the Onion Skin Water.

Put all the sliced shallots in a pan of lukewarm sunflower oil, turn the heat up high, and cook till the big bubbles grow less energetic (10 min)!

Add 1/2 tsp sea salt and lower heat to medium and cook till bubbles subside, revealing golden-brown fried shallots!

Don't pour out the remaining oil in the pan!! It's delightfully fragrant Shallot Oil!! You can strain it if you like (I don't, cos I personally like to see caramelised shallot bits in it).

Assemble the Plate!!

Ladle some congee into a bowl.

Pour some shallot oil into the grilled onion ‘saucers’ and balance on top of the congee. Arrange the rest of the toppings carefully.

Enjoy!!

Such a comforting and belly-filling, heart-warming lunch! I added a dash of chilli oil, mixed up the toppings into the porridge, and heaped more fried shallots on top of my bowl. Yummmmy!!