Ingredients:
Congee Base
Ingredients:
rice 120 g
water 15 cups
salt 1/2 tsp
oil 1/2 tsp
Flavouring
dried fish 40 g
dried scallop (conpoy) 20 g
dried red dates 10
dried bean curd skin 20 g
Preparation:
Wash the dried fish, dry and toast in a dry wok till crispy to release the aroma.
Core the red dates and cut into strips.
Wash and soak dried scallops in water for a few minutes drain.
Soak but do not wash the rice. Drain. Mix the soaked rice with 1/2 tsp each of oil and salt and let marinade for a few minutes.
In a large pot, bring the water to a rolling boil. Wipe clean the dried bean curd skin. Cut into pieces and put them in the boiling water for 15 minutes. Add the rice to the boiling water and boil for 15 minutes. Add the toasted dried fish, scallops, red dates and continue cooking under medium heat for 30 minutes. Turn the heat to very low and continue simmering till done. Do not cover the pot at any time to prevent boiling over vby spacing the lid from the pot with a pair of chopsticks. Turn off the heat when done. Leave the lid on and let stand.
Fish Balls - mud carp (dace) fish balls
Ingredients:
scallion 4 pcs chopped
mud carp fillet with skin 225 g
salt 1/2 tsp
water 4 tbsp
pepper 1/8 tsp
sugar 1/8 tsp
sesame oil 2 tsp
cooked shrimp finely diced 140 g
cookded pork fat finely diced 2 tbsp
Preparation:
Scrape the flesh from the fish fillet with a small sharp knife and and place the flesh in a bowl. Discard the skin. Add the water and salt to the bowl. Beat the fish in one direction with a pair of chopsticks until the fish becomes tacky. Add pepper, sugar and sesame oil and mix well.
Hold the fish paste in your palm and flip it onto the bowl again and again until the paste becomes elastic. Add the cooked shrimp, cooked pork fat and the scallion. Mix well and give it a few more flips. Refrigerate.
Forming the fish balls
Bring water to the boil in a saucepan. Hold the chilled fish paste in the palm of your hand. form a small ring of 5mm with your thumb and forefinger. Squirt the fish paste through the hole by squeezing the palm of your hand forming a fish ball. Remove the the fish ball and drop it into boiling water. The fish ball is cooked when it floats.
Congee with Fish Balls
You can cook the fish ball directly in the congee. Reheat the congee to boiling. Drop the fish balls into the congee. Make sure the fish balls are cooked. Add choppped scallions and a few drops of sesame to the congee for garnish.