20-MINUTE FISH CONGEE
What a fantastic and unusual cooking method this is if you haven’t tried our 20-Minute Congee or read about it in our 20-Minute Congee post.
A 20-Minute Fish Congee sounds like something out of the realm of possibility to many purists and traditionalists. Instead of trying to persuade you, this is a recipe you must try to understand.
This is our 20-MINUTE CONGEE RECIPE, with some updates!
Any home cook who’s ever spent an hour or more watching a congee pot simmer should try this method merely to feel the rush.
Once the rice has been soaked and frozen overnight, it is ready to be cooked (about 20 minutes). Starting with raw rice takes at least 90 minutes in a conventional manner!
As soon as I published my recipe for a pork and preserved egg congee, our readers had some great ideas to share. For this recipe, I followed a reader’s tip and soaked the rice before freezing in order to reduce the cooking time even further.
The Congee will thicken more quickly if you take this step. It’s almost as if it’s magic.
To make Congee, all you have to do is open your freezer and pull out the bag of frozen rice.
Breakfast or lunch, this dish is a great choice.
At dim sum restaurants and in Chinatown, noodle soup places, Congee is a popular breakfast dish. It’s comforting, filling, and easy to eat. ‘ For babies, it’s an excellent way to get started on solids.
WHAT TYPE OF FISH SHOULD YOU USE?
Use any flaky, white, and low-oil fish you can get your hands on for this fish congee.
In order to prevent the flounder fillets from dissolving in the Congee, I cut them into large chunks before cooking.
THE THICK OR THIN CONGEE DEBATE
Our family has a long-running argument over whether thick or thin Congee is better. Most Cantonese people prefer a thicker congee, but I prefer a thinner congee that isn’t too thick. The pao fan rice porridge I grew up with is my favorite Congee, and I’ll argue its virtues until I’m red in the face!
8 cups of water/chicken stock provides a thick congee for your requirements. It takes 9 cups of liquid for thin Congee, which is my personal preference.
INGREDIENTS
- 12 ounces of delicate white fish filets (sliced into large chunks)
- 8-9 cups of water or chicken broth
- 3 thin slices of finely julienned ginger
- 2 cups of chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup of white rice
- 1 large egg white
- 2 teaspoons of oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons of Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon of grated ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper plus more to taste
- chopped scallion and cilantro (to garnish)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Rice should be washed once or twice, with the water being mixed in with your hands before the starchy water is discarded. For 30 minutes, submerge and soak the rice.
- Drain, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or other container. Freeze for no less than eight hours.
- Fish should be marinated in a medium bowl with ginger, oyster sauce, white pepper, salt, and Shaoxing wine. Toss the fish to coat with your hands. When the marinade feels slippery, and each piece of fish is thoroughly coated, add the egg white and gently combine.
- While preparing the congee, cover the bowl with an upside-down plate and place it in the refrigerator to marinate for 15 minutes.
- Bring 8 to 9 cups of liquid and the frozen rice to a boil in a big pot (no need to defrost the rice). Turn down the heat to medium-low, cover, and leave the lid slightly ajar to prevent the congee from boiling. Cook for ten minutes. Keep still.
- Wash and carefully chop the romaine lettuce, and thinly julienne the ginger as the congee cooks. Since you want the flavor of freshly cut ginger, don’t prepare the ginger ahead of time.
- Increase the heat to medium-high after 10 minutes, and stir the congee constantly for a few minutes to thicken it. To wilt the lettuce, stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
- Then, after giving them a little swirl, add the fish pieces. (You can add the ginger now, along with the fish fillets, if you don’t like the taste of raw ginger in your congee.) Add more white pepper and salt to taste before bringing to a boil. If preferred, garnish with ginger, cilantro, and scallions before serving.