Mixed Seafood Congee

20 MINUTE FISH CONGEE

Steps:

• Wash the rice 1-2 times, mixing it in the water with your hands before discarding the starchy water. Submerge and soak the rice for 30 minutes.
• Drain and transfer to a resealable bag or other freezer-safe container. Freeze for at least 8 hours.
• In a medium bowl, marinate the fish with salt, white pepper, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, and ginger. Use your hands to toss the fish to coat. Add the egg white, and gently mix until the marinade feels slippery and each fish chunk is well-coated.
• Cover the bowl with an overturned plate and transfer to the refrigerator for 15 minutes to marinate while you start the congee.
• In a large pot, bring 8-9 cups of stock and the frozen rice to a boil (no need to defrost the rice). Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar to avoid the congee boiling over, and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Do not stir.
• While the congee cooks, wash and finely chop the romaine lettuce and very thinly julienne the ginger. Don't prepare the ginger ahead of time, as you want the flavor of freshly cut ginger.
• After 10 minutes, increase the heat to medium high, and stir the congee continuously for a couple of minutes to thicken. Stir in the lettuce, and bring to a boil to wilt the lettuce.
• Finally, add the fish pieces, gently stirring to distribute them. (If you don't like the taste of raw ginger in your congee, you can add the ginger at this point, along with the fish fillets.) Bring to a boil, and add additional salt and white pepper to taste. Serve topped with scallions, cilantro, and ginger if desired.

MIXED SEAFOOD CONGEE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, soak the dried mushrooms in the hot water for 20 minutes. Drain and reserve the soaking liquid. Remove and discard the stems, dice the caps and set aside.
• Heat a wok or pan over high heat and the vegetable oil. Once smoking, add the ginger, shallots and diced mushrooms and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add in the squid, clams, mussels and shrimp, and stir-fry until the shrimp tails begin to turn pink, about 2 minutes. Toss in the cooked rice. Then add the reserved mushroom soaking liquid and vegetable stock and bring to boil. Season the mixture with the rice wine, light soy sauce, a pinch of salt and 2 pinches of ground white pepper. Add the bok choy stems, bamboo shoots and cilantro stems and cook 1 minute before adding the bok choy leaves. Simmer until the seafood is cooked and the clam and mussel shells have opened. Discard any unopened clams or mussels. Serve immediately, garnished with the cilantro leaves.

SEAFOOD CONGEE

Steps:

• Rinse dried scallop. Place in a small bowl and tap water to cover. Let rehydrate for 2 to 3 hours.
• Rinse rice a few times and transfer to a large pot. Add 2 liters (8 cups) water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir a few times. Turn to medium low or medium heat. Cover the pot halfway to keep the water boiling without spilling. Cook for 30 minutes. Stir the congee a few times during cooking.
• Cut the shrimp down the center of the back into two thin pieces.
• Combine shrimp, Shaoxing wine, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
• Drain dried scallop. Tear into smaller pieces by hand. Set aside.
• When the congee has been cooking for 30 minutes and starts to thicken, add dried scallop. Keep cooking with the pot half covered, until the congee achieves the desired thickness, 15 to 20 minutes. Be careful, the congee will get quite thick and sticky towards the end. Stand close to the pot and stir frequently. It will easily spill if covered too much or if the heat is too high. The rice will stick to the bottom if you don't stir enough.
• When the congee is cooked, add shrimp and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon ginger. Stir a few times. Stop heat immediately. Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt or salt to taste. Stir well. Drizzle with sesame oil and scatter with green onion.
• Serve warm.

CONGEE WITH CHINESE CRULLERS & SAUTEED GREENS

Steps:

• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sweat the shallot and ginger, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the rice and broth. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover. Cook until the rice has broken down and the mixture is thick and porridge-like, about 1 hour. Stir with a rubber spatula occasionally so the bottom doesn't stick. Remove the ginger and season to taste.
• Divide the congee into bowls. Top with a pile of Sauteed Greens (recipe follows), a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, a drizzle of sriracha and a couple turns of black pepper. Serve with Crullers (recipe follows) on the side.
• Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Add the buttermilk, coconut oil and egg and knead with the dough hook for 7 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Wrap with plastic and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator 1 hour before ready to use and allow to come to room temperature.
• Heat the neutral oil in a heavy bottomed pot to 375 degrees F.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 20-by-6-inch rectangle that is about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 12 vertical strips just over an inch wide, then cut each strip in half horizontally. Layer one half on top of the other and using a chopstick, press down in the center to adhere. Cover with plastic while you shape the others.
• When the oil is up to temperature, take one piece of dough and, holding both ends, stretch gently to triple the length (it should stretch very easily). Drop in the oil and fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side, or until lightly golden and puffy, gently turning with a spider. Remove to a rack and repeat in batches of 2 or 3, allowing oil to come back to temperature between each batch.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the dried chili peppers and garlic and toss around, cooking until fragrant and lightly toasty, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mustard greens, a big pinch of salt and a couple turns of black pepper and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until wilted, tender, and bright green. Add the sesame oil, rice vinegar and sesame seeds. Toss to combine.