Fish Congee

I never really liked congee since young. Maybe that's because mum always cook porridge when I am sick hence eating porridge reminds me of sickness.

About a year ago, my B brought me to a famous porridge stall in Ipoh, near Bercham area. Ever since then I fell in love with it. So smooth, so perfect. I began to experiment with porridge. I want to achieve that silky smooth texture (Without dumping it into the food processor of course).

After several attemps and reading from Chinese sites, I finally figured out how to get that texture. Should I share? Haha. Of course!! Good food taste better when shared!

Soaking the rice for at least two hours is the trick. I bet most housewives know that. Soaking the rice makes the grain softer and easier to achieve the 'melt-in-your-mouth' texture. The second trick is to add a drop of oil into the rice when soaked plus a pinch of salt. It is also important to add in the rice only when the water is boiling (Yes, I meant big bubbles). You also need to add the rice into the boiling water together with the 'soaking solution'. I experimented many times that if I don't add the 'soaking solution', the congee is less smooth. Even when you are ready with soft grain rice, the porridge is yucky if you do not have a good soup base. So, throw in lots of patience by boiling the soup base with chicken or pork bones. Finally, the biggest trick to a good bowl of porridge is to have TIME. Haha. Why do I say so? Cooking porridge needs a lot of patience. You can't on the stove to the highest level and let it boil vigorously thinking that the great heat will break up the grains and make it smooth. (Yes, I did that. Haha) Neither can you on the stove and walk away for a few hours, thinking that if you simmer it slowly for a long long time, it will be soft. Even when you on the stove on low-medium heat, you need to stir it once in a while, every 20 minutes or so. You can know if someone uses a lot of patience to cook a good pot of porridge by looking at the base of the pot. If one uses lots of patience (and love) into cooking it, the porridge never sticks to the base of the pot. (Haha. Cheeky isn't it?)

Making a good bowl of porridge is very time- consuming. No wonder people say that if someone cooks them porridge when they are sick, they will be touched! Haha. This Fish Congee is made for Rahcel who is down with fever. People say that the worst thing that happens to you when you are overseas is falling sick. Your mum isn't there to look after you and nag you to drink more water. Alright, call me 'aunty' or whatever, I still feel that when someone is sick, shower them with lots of love and care (Of course Porridge is of significance here) and they will feel better and heal quickly.