This recipe came to light because I had wisdom tooth removed. I couldn’t eat much but always so hungry so I was eating so much mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs, but I remember when I was a little girl, my mother would always cooked some congee for me, cause whenever I was sick, I didn’t really have an appetite. Eating congee is like drinking though, you don’t have to chew at all. Cooking congee is a different story.
I added some seared fish cause I just can’t eat anything with some greens and salt. But to get the consistency just right is hard. I experimented and improvised so many times to get this just right. Although my “just right” may be different than your “just right”. So please give this a go and let me know in the comment below, how many cups of liquid do you add for a cup of rice?
Ingredients:
8 oz white fish fillet -sliced
1 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp ginger -minced
3 cloves garlic -minced
1 cup rice
4 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
Salt
Instructions:
- Rinse the rice and drain the water.
- In a pot over medium-high heat, let the oil heat up. Add the minced ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until they start to become fragrant.
- Add the fish fillet to the pot skin side down (if your fillet has skin). Cook the fish 2-3 minutes each side, searing them until golden brown or the skin crisp up. Remove the fish from the heat and set aside.
- Add the rice into the pot and carefully pour the broth and water in. Sprinkle some salt then bring the broth to a boil (uncovered).
- Turn the heat to low and cover the pot, let the congee simmer for about an hour while occasionally giving them a good stir.
- After an hour or after the liquid fully absorbed, check the congee to see if the consistency is to your liking. If it’s still too thick add a little more water.
- Put the fish back into the pot and serve with some sliced scallions, fried Chinese churros, soy sauce, toasted peanuts, toasted sesame oil or chili oil. Enjoy!
Notes: You could cook the fish along with the rice, the fish maybe broken to pieces but that would save you a step. I personally like my fish a little crispy.