As we start to wind things down here in preparation for a move and the summer holidays, I decided to use up whatever was left of my Basics rice to make congee. For the uninitiated, this is a savoury rice porridge made by boiling rice in an excess of water or stock for an extended period of time until a thick consistency is achieved. I do not usually have congee while I am in Chinatown, and I remember not being particularly fond of it as I grew up, but thought that this might be helpful if ill or during a cold winter's day.
I decided to have my congee with the Basics mince that I had in my freezer. As the fat content in the mince is very high, it made sense to brown them first before adding them to the congee as it was cooking.
To liven it up a bit, I also decided to knock an egg in.
If cooked using water, the rice alone will not be very flavourful and will have to be seasoned with something else. Unfortunately, other than perhaps black pepper, there is little in the Sainsbury's Basics range that would be appropriate here. If you are more flexible however, a little soya sauce and sesame seed oil will go a long way.
you could always try adding a stock cube, i believe they are 10p for a pack of 10.
ReplyDeleteHello yemi, I did think about it, as I still have 3 half-finished packs of Basics stock cubes that I have been struggling to use! At the time I made this however I had some lingering doubt about the final colour of the congee. I was also uncertain if there would be a clash of East-West flavours, as I was unsure if chicken stock was the same wherever you went. Good spot though!
DeleteThe basics turkey leg makes a very good congee. If you roast it first, it'll give some good flavor for a large stockpot's worth. (I usually make enough congee for about 8 bowls.) Of course, you'll be wanting to save making it for when you have an afternoon free, since you'll be making the turkey stock first. One leg will give flavor, two legs will satisfy all of your meat cravings, haha! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how you brought it up actually; I believe a few posts before this one I was trying to make something with the Basics turkey leg, but never got round to using the bone for stock. I know there is an article floating out there which talks about making the perfect Christmas turkey, so who knows, I might verify their findings using turkey legs, saving the bones for later!
DeleteThanks for your insightful suggestions!
I really love turkey congee. I'm from the US, so every November we had a turkey carcass to use up after Thanksgiving, and my mom always makes congee with it. Since moving to the UK, I've wanted a taste of home but not to buy a whole turkey and the basics turkey leg does the trick quite well, and nicely affordably. :)
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