How do I describe the texture? The first thing that struck me that the "thickness" of the congee. The usual congee that I make (or eat in Chinese restaurants) is a thin, watery gruel. This congee was thick like oatmeal. More significant, however, was the grains of rice, which were broken (or smashed?) into tiny bits. In contrast to the Chinese-style congee where the rice grains are so soft they're quite mushy, this Singaporean-style congee had al-dente bits. There were no whole grains, of that I was certain, but what bits I could sense in my mouth were definitely firm. I found the texture to be quite interesting. And of course, I wanted to try and see if I could recreate the texture.
I asked a friend (who had worked in Singapore for several years) if she had any suggestions. She did! The first secret, according to her, is the crispy fried shallots (and the resulting shallot oil). After that was the so-called congee rice grains, which were broken rice grains instead of the usual whole grains used for steamed rice. Then there was the liquid to rice grain ratio. The Chinese version has more liquid per cup of rice, the Singaporean version has lesser liquid, and uses chicken and/or pork stock.
Here's how I made mine (generally following my friend's instructions)...
Prepare the chicken stock beforehand. Our local supermarket sells (usually) the rib cage, the back part and/or neck parts as soup bones and they're a lot cheaper then other chicken parts. To make about 6 cups of stock, use 7 to 8 cups of water with 2 pieces of the back part, 3 to 4 ribs or 8 to 10 pieces of neck. My mom tells me to put everything (an onion, quartered, 1 or 2 whole tomatoes, 1 stalk celery, chopped roughly, and slices of ginger, as well as salt and pepper, to taste, and the chicken, of course) in the stock pot and bring to a boil, skim then simmer at least an hour, preferably 4. Strain everything and let the stock cool. There's usually a bit of chicken meat on the bones and I add these to Dexter's food as additional treats). If there is no time to make homemade stock, feel free to use canned stock or instant stock using bouillon cubes.
Make the crispy fried shallots ahead too. Place 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sliced shallots in a frying pan. Pour in enough canola oil to cover the shallots. Do not crowd the shallots in the pan. Turn on the heat to medium (at most) and gently fry the shallots (about 4 to 5 minutes, more or less). If the shallots brown too quickly, turn down the heat a notch or two. When the shallots are golden brown, strain the shallots and air dry (again, do not crowd the shallots; better to spread the shallots in a single layer). Reserve the oil where the shallots were fried ("shallot oil") and let it cool.
This next component is optional but since I like conpoy (dried scallops) and dried shitake, I almost always add this to my congees. Rehydrate (separately) about a tablespoon of conpoy (whole pieces not necessary, bit and pieces are fine) in hot water (the resulting "broth" is quite flavorful so don't throw it away). Rehydrate dried shitake mushrooms (I used 6 to 7 small pieces) until soft. Or use 2 to 3 medium pieces and slice into thin strips. Set aside.
To make the congee, rinse 1 cup of congee rice grains until the rice washing water runs clear. Set aside.
Saute 2 to 4 thin slices of ginger in the shallot oil. Put in about 150 to 200 grams of thinly sliced pork (or use ground pork) and cook until done. Remove the pork and throw in the rice grains; stir fry several seconds. Add 6 cups of broth, the rehydrated conpoy and rehydrated sliced shitake. Cook on low to low-medium about 20 to 30 minutes, or just until the broken grains are al dente. Garnish the congee with the crispy fried shallots, sliced century eggs and a dash sesame oil.
Yumm!
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