A dish from the Cantonese Cuisine: Fish Congee

Fish Congee, also called Fish Porridge, is one of the inseparable parts of the night life for Cantonese people. Whenever they run out of ideas for dinner, Fish Congee is the way to go. It’s a super simple no-brainer dish, you don’t need to be a cooking pro at all. But don’t get us wrong, it’s packed with flavor!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup grain rice (jasmine rice is preferred)
  • 4 cups water
  • 300 grams of fish fillet (you can use any type, but boneless ling is preferred)
  • 1 table spoon of chicken bouillon powder
  • 1 table spoon of pepper
  • 1/2 table spoon of salt
  • 1/2 table spoon o fish sauce
  • 1/2 table spoon of oyster sauce
  • 1/2 table spoon of cooking oil
  • 1/2 table spoon of sesame oil
  • 1 piece of grated ginger
  • 1 bunch of chopped green onion

How to make it

Step 1: Wash the rice grains and mix it in with the salt and some cooking oil. Let it rest for 1 hour.

Step 2: Slice the fillet into small pieces and marinate them with the fish sauce, pepper, ginger, cooking oil, and salt. Let this mixture rest for a minimum of 10 minutes.

Step 3: Get a separate bowl and mix the oyster sauce, sesame oil, green onion and chicken bouillon powder.

Step 4: Pour the rice and water in a pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. When it boils, turn the heat down to medium and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Remember to stir the pot’s base every 5 minutes so the rice grains won’t stick to the bottom and burn. If the rice becomes too sticky, you can always add another ½ cup of water.  

Step 5: Once the rice becomes creamy and thick, add the sliced fish fillet, as well as the sauce you created in a separate bowl. Stir for about 1 minute.

Step 6: Turn off the heat, divide the mixture on the plates, and sprinkle with the chopped green onion. To make it even tastier, you can also add some fried shelled peanuts on top for extra texture.

There it is, your ultimate tasty go-to meal!