Showing posts with label Rice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rice. Show all posts

A hearty CONGEE / porridge

Wednesday, April 28, 2010



as promised...here's the recipe of cognee taught to me by my chinese friend whom was also a chef in one of the Hotel in KL ...(hint - near Sg.Wang so keep guessing!)

making this is actually easy its the 'accessories' are the less than easier. He told me that the key to making a good congee is to soak the rice over night. the longer the better he said...by soaking it the rice will absorb more water and making the rice when cooked be almost mushed which is the best texture for this porridge. although he also taught me some short cuts...hmmm~

anyway cooking the rice is easy just cook with lots of water and let it just cook in a med-low heat and remember to constantly stir the rice so that it won't burn...then flavoring it is another thing, although making it as simple as it possibly can, you can basically add what ever later on and it will contribute to the flavor of the congee. althought he does have one rule, is that if you wanted to add meat (any kind) you should first saute some ginger, garlic and shallots first then add the sauted ingredients into the congee then add in the meat and season as required.

i hope you get the basic idea on the how.

what you need:

1c rice soaked overnight
salt to taste
sugar to taste
spring onions for garnishing
lots of water

side dish:
salted egg
shredded poached chicken
light soy sauce
sesame oil
white pepper

i actually made beef balls and cook them with the congee making my congee taste delightfully beefy ^_^.


TIPS:

you can use leftover cooked rice to make congee too just recook them with lots of water and when you start to see that the rice swollen then take some of it and blend it away then put it back in the pot and continue to cook adding water and seasonings when necessary. you'll get the same result.

Lazy Day - Nasi Lemak

Thursday, July 31, 2008


yeah my cucumber is missing..

Today its a very very lazy day for me...so i was only thinking to clear my fridge. when i went thru my fridge Nasi Lemak came across my mind...so i check if i have coconut milk and yes i do have some left...immediately i whipped out the Nasi Lemak very very early in the morning (just after dawn to be exact) in my mind it'll be my breakfast and my lunch *grins* boy am i lazy or what?

anyway when i'm done about 90% then i realised that i'm lacking 1 ingredient...which is the cucumber. being lazy...i didn't even budge to go to the market to buy some heheh...besides my hubby is not remotely a vegetarian...i mean he didn't eat his veges*sigh* yeah i know like a small kid...but thats him! how in the world can you teach your child to eat vege when you yourself don't eat veges??? now thats a million dollar question!

if any of you are wondering what is a Nasi Lemak, direct translation: Fatty Rice but a less harsh meaning is err...creamy Rice..? The name is derived from the cooking process whereby rice is soaked in rich coconut milk and then steamed with Pandan/Screwpine leaves and ginger to make the rice be more fracrance.Traditionally, this comes as a platter with cucumber slices, small dried anchovies, roasted peanuts, stir fry convolvulus (kangkung), hard boil egg or fried egg, and hot and spicy sambal. Nasi lemak can also come with any other accompaniments such as fried chicken, sambal cuttlefish, sambal cockle, beef rendang (beef stewed in coconut milk and spices) or fried beef lungs (paru). yeaa writing this make my mouth waters :D

This Nasi Lemak is a Malaysian most popular dish that is usually serve as breakfast. however nowadays we eat it at anytime we please you can even get it in the middle of the night at the Kopitiam (old school coffee shop, nothing like starbucks) how great is that??

Now the Recipe..

What you need:

  • For Rice:-
  • 2 c of rice
  • 1 c coconut milk and 1c water
  • 1pc of screwpine leave tie into a knot
  • 3 slice of ginger
  • a pinch of salt
  • For the Sambal (Spicy sauce):-
  • 6tbs blended dried chili (you can find this at any oriental store)
  • 4 clove shallots- blended
  • 2 clove garlic -blended
  • 1 bombay onion -sliced
  • some dried anchovies -wash to prevent it to be too salty(you can find this at any oriental store)
  • 1tbs tamarind juice
  • salt and sugar to taste
  • Other ingredients:-
  • Fried dried anchovies.
  • Hard boil eggs or fried eggs
  • cucumber slices
  • chicken: marinate it with salt, 1tsp tumeric powder and 1tsp curry powder

How you do it:

  1. Add all rice ingredients and cook in a rice cooker.
  2. For the Sambal:
  3. Saute sliced onions til fragrant then add in the all blended ingredients. cook in a medium heat for at least 5 minutes or so
  4. Then add in tamarind juice, the dried anchovies.
  5. Add in salt and sugar. continue cooking until it thickens.
  6. then remove from fire. ready to serve.
  7. just a tip...i usually add in a tablespoon of coconut milk in the sambal sauce towards the end of the cooking, but this is optional.