Scallop Congee Porridge, Seafood

Scallop Congee is one of my most oft cooked congee for weekend lunch. Okay, make it Scallop Porridge for those who are more familiar with the word porridge. Actually, it’s the same. And whichever name you call it, it will still taste as good though I suspect the word “congee” sounds much more sophisticated and refined to be used.

For this congee, I use dried scallops which I purchase from the wet market. You can get them from supermarkets and some chinese herbal shops or even, dried sea produce. I use those which are relatively small in size – perhaps about the size of half a pop corn as they are cheap and easy to cook.

In the picture above, the scallop congee appears white in colour. I have a habit of eating my scallop congee with an egg. What I would do is to break an egg into the bowl and pour boiling congee over it before giving it a good stir. The egg gives the congee a much smoother texture and definitely tastes better. Game for a bowl?

This is my recipe for Scallop Congee

Ingredients

• 3/4 bowl of rice
• about 15 to 20 pieces of dried scallops (rinsed and soaked in water for 30 minutes. Do not discard water)
• 100 grammes of minced pork
• Chopped spring onions
• Sesame oil

Seasoning

• Salt and white pepper powder to taste
• 1 tablespoon light soya sauce

Method

Rinse the rice before placing it into a pot. Add 10 bowls of water plus the water previously used to soak the dried scallops and bring to boil. Once it starts to boil, add scallops and reduce heat to low. Partially cover with lid and ensure the bubbles do not boil over the pot. Stir once a while.

Simmer until rice is completely cooked (starts to break up) which will take approximately 30 minutes. Add a little boiling water every now and then to keep it runny. Turn off heat and cover lid. Allow to cool for 1 hour.

Before serving, bring congee to boil. Add more boiling water to keep it runny as the congee would have absorb much of the water during the cooling process. Once it boils, add minced pork and stir well. Add seasoning.

Dish up and drizzle a little sesame oil over the congee.

Serve hot and garnish with chopped spring onions and yau char kuey (if available).

[Serves approximately 4 adults - soup bowl size]

Credit to: deliciousasianfood.com

Asian's Food Recipe: Sesame Chicken

Oh how I love sesame chicken, let me count the ways. It makes me feel like a little kid again everytime I eat it. It’s not very spicy, it’s a little sweet, and there’s those little sauce drenched chicken nuggets. What could be better? Oh yeah, don’t forget all that broccoli! Adding the broccoli makes me feel better about the nutrition of this dish when I am eating it and serving it to my family.

For this recipe, I used boneless, skinless thighs, but you can substitute breasts if you like.

Sesame Chicken  

For the Chicken
2 lbs boneless skinless breasts or thighs, cut in bite size pieces
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
1 cup or more cornstarch (for breading)
oil for deep frying (several cups)

For the Sauce
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon Sriracha
3 tablespoons sesame seed oil
Sesame seeds to garnish
Steamed broccoli
Cooked white rice

Method
1. Combine chopped chicken, soy sauce and sesame seed oil in a large bowl. Let marinate for 2 – 3 hours covered in the refrigerator.
2. Dissolve cornstarch in chicken broth first, then combine all other ingredients for the sauce in a small sauce pan.Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
3. Cook rice and steam broccoli.
4. Preheat oil for frying chicken to 350 degrees. Add cornstarch to chopped chicken and toss to coat. Drop each piece of chicken, on e at a time into hot oil. Fry in batches until golden and drain on paper towels.

UN launching emergency food aid program in NKorea

GENEVA—The World Food Program says it is launching an emergency operation to help feed 3.5 million people suffering from hunger in North Korea.

A WFP spokeswoman says the global body believes food shortages have "led to a serious deterioration in the health of millions" in the East Asian country.

Emilia Casella says the harsh winter and poor vegetable crop last year have left North Korea with severe shortages of staple foods.

Casella told reporters in Geneva on Friday that chronic malnutrition is already widespread in the country.

WFP stressed in a statement that the aid operation in the authoritarian single-party state "will include the highest standards of monitoring and control to ensure that food gets to where it is needed."