Ramen congee

Classic Chinese rice porridge congee gets a Japanese makeover in this recipe featuring flavourful ramen-style toppings. The congee is cooked with brown rice and chicken stock until thick, then topped with chashu pork, soy-marinated eggs, seasoned bamboo shoots and nori.

• serves

  6

• prep

  1:15 hour

• cook

  3 hours

• difficulty

  Mid

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Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice
• 2 litres chicken stock
• spring onion, finely sliced
• ½ cup menma (seasoned bamboo shoots) (see Note)
• soy sauce, to serve
• white pepper, to serve
• 1 sheet nori, to serve

Flavoured oil

• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 1 small brown onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

Chashu and cured eggs

• 1 kg pork belly, skin and bone off
• 6 shiitake mushrooms
• 1 tsp salt
• 50 g sugar
• 75 ml soy sauce
• 50 ml dark soy sauce
• 60 ml mirin
• 60 ml sake
• 6 eggs

Marinating time: 2 days

Instructions

1. Start this recipe 2 days in advance. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Blanch the pork belly for 15 minutes, then discard the water and rinse the pork belly to remove any scum. Place the mushrooms, salt, sugar, soy sauces, mirin and sake in a large saucepan, add the pork and top up with enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 90 minutes. Allow the pork to cool in the liquid to room temperature, then refrigerate.
2. To make the cured eggs, prick a hole in the base of the eggs and boil in a medium saucepan for 6½ minutes. Shock in iced water, then peel. Place the peeled eggs in a press seal bag and add enough of the pork braising liquid to cover, avoiding any solidified fat. Place in the fridge for at least a day, preferably 2.
3. Rinse the rice under running water. Combine the rice and chicken stock in a large heavy-based saucepan and bring to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally, particularly in the last hour. As the congee thickens, it may catch on the bottom of the pan. Add more water if needed, it should be thick, not gloopy.
4. To make the flavoured oil, heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add a little of the oil. Fry the onion and garlic until lightly browned. Add the remaining oil and heat for 5 minutes.
5. To serve, thinly slice the pork and halve the eggs. Divide congee between bowls and top with pork, egg, spring onion and menma. Spoon over a little flavoured oil and drizzle with soy sauce. Sprinkle with white pepper and nori.

Note

• Menma is available at Asian grocers. To add extra flavour, grill slices of the pork on a chargrill pan to develop char marks on the chashu.

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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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.

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