This has got to be my favourite recipe for congee… it evokes memories of my childhood and what a good cook my granny was (she hardly cooks now because we now have a domestic helper who does all the cooking, washing and housework).

The congee is extremely easy – the secret is a slow cooker. You just have to dump ingredients of your choice into the slow cooker, add rice and water and turn it on. Few hours later, voila! Mushy, yummy congee.

Ingredients (serves 6):

  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
  • 1/2 cup sliced lean pork
  • 1 carrot, chopped into 1 inch pieces
  • 3 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
  • few pieces dried scallops (optional)

Method:

  1. Marinate pork slices in oyster sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil.
  2. Wash rice and place at the bottom of slow cooker. Add 2x the amount of water.
  3. Add in marinated pork and carrots and scallops, if using.
  4. Turn on the slow cooker and stir occasionally to prevent lumps at bottom of pot.
  5. Congee is ready after 3-4 hours. It should be a sticky consistency, with no visible rice grains.
  6. Serve with white pepper and additional light soy sauce and sesame oil to taste.

PS: Plain rice congee can also be made using the slow cooker. I usually like to start cooking it at night before I go to bed so that the congee will be ready for breakfast the next morning. Put the slow cooker on auto mode so it will know when to cut off power and not overheat.

Advertisement