Fish congee

Source the freshest fish you can find for this dish. With a recipe as simple as this one, the quality of your fish will be glaringly obvious. Ling, cod or grouper, with their clean oceanic flavour, make lovely choices.

Fish congee Credit: Armelle Habib

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  1:15 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

My sister used to order this dish from a Cantonese restaurant we would visit in Glen Waverley in Melbourne after Saturday-morning Chinese school. I'd watch her stir in big helpings of chilli oil and soy sauce, transforming the milky-white surface into a very appetising golden-brown, dotted with pools of chilli oil. Her congee ended up being the most perfect combination of silky rice, perfectly cooked white fish, zingy fresh ginger and chilli oil. 

Ingredients

• 500 g plain congee (recipe below)
• 500 g white fish fillets such as ling, cod or grouper, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 spring onion, sliced
• 1 tsp julienned ginger
• soy sauce
• chilli oil (recipe below), to serve

Chilli oil 

Makes 1½ cups (375 ml)

• 40 g dried Sichuan chillies, or other dried chillies
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 10 fresh red chillies, topped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 cm piece ginger, peeled
• ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1 spring onion, white part only, cut into large pieces
• 1½ cups (375 ml) vegetable oil
• 3 cm piece ginger, skin on, sliced
• 2 star anise
• 1 black cardamom pod

Congee

• 250 g white short-grain or medium-grain rice
• sprinkle each of salt, ground white pepper and julienned ginger, to serve (optional)

If you are making the chilli oil, you will need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

Resting time: 20 minutes

Infusing time: overnight

Instructions

1. Use a pair of sharp kitchen scissors to cut the dried chillies into small pieces. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the chillies and peppercorns over low heat until they are fragrant and the chillies have turned a deep red. Keep moving the chillies and be extremely careful not to burn them. Allow to cool, then crush using a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Place the fresh chillies, garlic and ginger in a food processor and blitz to combine.
3. Warm the oil in a small saucepan and add the chilli mixture. Fry over low heat until the moisture evaporates, 5–6 minutes. Allow to cool, then stir through the salt and sugar. Combine this mixture with the dried chilli mixture in a heatproof bowl and set aside.
4. Pour the oil into a large saucepan that can hold double its volume (as the oil will bubble up) and place over medium heat. Add the spring onion and ginger and fry until golden, then remove from the oil and discard.
5. Add the star anise and cardamom to the oil and fry over low heat until fragrant. At this point, the oil should be very hot. Pour half the oil over the chilli mixture and stir. Wait 5–6 minutes for the oil to cool slightly, then pour the remaining oil over the chilli mixture.
6. Once the chilli oil is completely cooled, remove the star anise and cardamom and discard. Cover the oil and leave overnight at room temperature.
7. The next day, the oil should have turned a dark red colour. Pour into a sterilised airtight container or jar and store in a cool dark place for up to 3 months.
8. To make the congee, wash the rice vigorously and rinse it until the water runs clear.
9. Bring 8 cups (2 litres) water to the boil in a large saucepan, then add the rice. Stir and reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue cooking for 45 minutes, until the rice grains burst open and melt into the water. Stir the congee during the last few minutes of cooking to further break up the grains. Allow to stand for 10 minutes.
10. To make the fish congee, place the congee in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the sliced fish, cover and turn off the heat. Allow to stand for 10 minutes.
11. Turn the heat back on to medium–low, add the salt and simmer for 3–4 minutes. The fish should be perfectly cooked. Divide the congee between four bowls and garnish with spring onion and ginger. Serve with soy sauce and chilli oil.

Notes

• Enjoy plain congee hot – either just as it is – or with a sprinkle of salt, white pepper and julienned ginger. Congee can also be served as an accompaniment to any other dishes, or with toppings of your choice.

• Try the chilli oil on avocado and feta toast, on pasta, or mixed with Chinkiang black vinegar and soy sauce for a classic dumpling dipping sauce.

Chinese-ish by Rosheen Kaul and Joanna Hu, published by Murdoch Books. (RRP $39.99). Photography by Armelle Habib.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

My sister used to order this dish from a Cantonese restaurant we would visit in Glen Waverley in Melbourne after Saturday-morning Chinese school. I'd watch her stir in big helpings of chilli oil and soy sauce, transforming the milky-white surface into a very appetising golden-brown, dotted with pools of chilli oil. Her congee ended up being the most perfect combination of silky rice, perfectly cooked white fish, zingy fresh ginger and chilli oil.