Quick congee (San gwan juk)

Congee is often thought of as a flavourless bowl of rice eaten when you're not feeling well. In fact, congee is quite magical – silky and soul-satisfying – it just needs to be made correctly.

San gwan juk (Quick congee) Credit: Alana Dimou

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  1:35 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Juk (Basic congee)

Serves 8

• 100 g (½ cup) jasmine rice

San gwan juk (Quick congee)

• 200 g white fish fillet, such as cod, whiting or barramundi, patted dry and thickly sliced
• ½ tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 500 ml (2 cups) Basic congee
• 125 ml (½ cup) chicken stock or water
• 1 tbsp canola oil (or other cooking oil)
• 1 tsp thinly sliced ginger
• 1 tbsp shaoxing rice wine
• thinly sliced spring onion, to serve
• coriander leaves, to serve

Refrigeration time: 8 hours (or overnight), optional

Marinating time: 30 minutes

Instructions

1. For the basic congee, wash the rice, then drain and put it in the freezer for at least 8 hours. (If you don't have time, you can skip this step but it reduces the cooking time and results in a silkier texture.)
2. Combine the rice and 2.5 litres water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat, stirring constantly to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour or until the rice has broken down and the congee has thickened, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. (If the rice hasn't been in the freezer, the cooking time will be about 3 hours.) If you're eating the congee plain, at this point, you can season the congee with a pinch of salt and white pepper.
3. For the quick congee, place the fish, white pepper, soy sauce and cornflour in a medium bowl and toss together well. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Warm up the basic congee and stock or water in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
5. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium saucepan (preferably non-stick) over high heat, add the ginger and fish in a single layer. Leave the fish untouched for about 30 seconds, then add the Shaoxing wine. Pour in the congee mixture and bring to the boil to cook the fish. This should take about 10 minutes.
6. Ladle into bowls, garnish with the spring onion and coriander and serve immediately.

 

Hong Kong Local by ArChan Chan, published by Smith Street Books (RRP $39.99). Photography by Alana Dimou.

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.