Pork Congee with Braised Peanuts & Dried Scallops
A Cantonese style, deliciously wholesome, hearty and nutritious congee with pork meat balls and braised peanut, infused with the sweet flavours of dried scallops and shallot oil.
Ingredients
- 150 g uncooked rice grains washed, drained
- 20 g dried scallops (or 1/2 of one dried squid)
- 3 - 3 ½ litres water or pork or chicken stock, plus more, as needed
- 2 - 2 ½ tsp chicken seasoning powder
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp white ground pepper or to taste
- 3 tbsp flavoured shallot oil or lard oil
- 1 can braised peanuts in sauce (1 can = 6 oz.)
For the Minced Pork Balls:
- 300 g minced pork a bit of fat preferred
- 2 tbsp finely minced salted radish
- 2 tbsp finely minced shallots
- 1 garlic clove finely minced
- 1 tbsp preserved cabbage tung choy, finely minced (optional)
- 2 cm ginger peeled, finely grated
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp corn flour
- Dash of pepper and salt
Condiments for Garnishing:
- Fresh eggs (optional)
- Some ginger sliced thinly into strips
- Some spring onion finely chopped
- Some coriander leaves roughly chopped
- Some fresh red chilli sliced
- Some sesame oil to drizzle, to taste
- Some light soy sauce to drizzle, to taste
Instructions
- Wash dried scallops and soak in some hot water. When dried scallops have softened, using your fingers (exercise caution if soaking water is still hot), break up the shallots into smaller shreds.
- Mix washed rice grains with shallot oil, chicken seasoning powder, salt and pepper, and set aside for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, place minced pork, salted radish, shallots, garlic, ginger and preserved cabbage (optional). Add light soy sauce, sesame oil, corn flour, pepper and salt. Stir to mix and combine well. Set aside for 15 minutes, before moulding into small balls.
- Pour rice grains into a deep pot, add water, dried scallops with soaking water, and bring to boil over high heat. When water reaches a boil, reduce to low heat and let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, or until desired texture (how broken up you prefer your congee to be) and consistency (how thick or thin you prefer your congee) is reached. Stir regularly to avoid rice sticking to the bottom of the pot. If the congee gets too thick, stir in more water as required.
- When congee is of the desired texture and consistency, add minced pork balls and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add braised peanuts with sauces, and stir lightly to mix in. Do a taste test, and add more salt or pepper as desired. Turn off heat.
- Dish out into individual serving bowls and sprinkle chopped spring onion, sliced ginger and chilli shreds over the top. Drizzle over with more sesame oil and light soy sauce, to taste. If desired, break a fresh egg into the congee, and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 4servings
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