Joanne's Easy Bake: Easy, Yummy Chicken Congee (Chicken Rice Porridge)...

Joanne's Easy Bake: Easy, Yummy Chicken Congee (Chicken Rice Porridge)...: Erik and I used to have congee, which some call porridge or 'juk', for breakfast when living in Hong Kong. It is one of the stapl...

Easy, Yummy Chicken Congee (Chicken Rice Porridge)

Erik and I used to have congee, which some call porridge or 'juk', for breakfast when living in Hong Kong. It is one of the staple foods for Chinese people and there are so many different ways to make congee and so many variations. But the best are the ones that have the simplest ingredients and those that we can find in the eateries that lined the inner city streets in Kowloon and Hong Kong where all the locals frequent. The ingredients to make congee are easily available; but being able to make congee that has the right texture and consistency is almost like an impossible achievement! Over the years, I finally learned to make congee that has the right consistency and texture, just like the ones we used to have in Hong Kong. You might still have to adjust the amount of water if you prefer thicker or thinner versions, but the texture will still be the same if you use the right combination of rice.

Utensils needed:-

Knife
Measuring cups & jug
Measuring spoons
Bowls
Large stainless steel pot
A wooden ladle

Ingredients:-

2 large pieces of skinless and boneless chicken thighs
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (optional)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon iodized sea salt
Dash of freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon cornstach
1/2 cup fresh ginger julienne
1/3 cup glutinous rice (sweet rice)
1/4 + 1/3 cups Jasmine rice or long grained rice or sushi rice (Note: if using sushi rice, you will need 3 litres of cold water instead of 2)
2 litres filtered cold water
Two stalks of spring onions (washed and diced) for garnish

Method:-

1. Measure and place Jasmine rice and glutinous rice in a bowl and rinse once or twice to remove dust and grits if any, then place them into the stainless steel pot.

2. Fill the measuring jug with 2 litres of filtered cold water and pour into the pot. (Measure 3 litres of filtered cold water instead of 2 if using sushi rice).

3. Scrape off the skin on the ginger and julienne. Add ginger julienne to the pot.

4. Place pot with rice, ginger and water on the stove and turn the heat on to high. Bring to a rapid boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer. You might have to watch the pot to prevent boiling over if your pot is not tall enough to hold the contents.

5. Stir to loosen rice from the bottom of the pot with a ladle once the heat has been turn down to low, do this to prevent rice from sticking and burning. Let rice simmer and give it a stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Simmer until all rice grains are fragmented and disintegrated and the mixture thickens to become viscous, congee state.

6. While rice is simmering, rinse the chicken meat and cut into bite size chunks, approximately an inch cube and place in a bowl.

7. Add rice wine, sesame oil, sea salt, white pepper and cornstarch to chicken. Mix thoroughly, cover bowl with a plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge until congee is in the right viscosity.

8. When congee reaches the right viscosity, add chicken to the congee and wait until congee comes to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. (Do not turn up heat when bringing to a boil). To test if the chicken is cooked, pierce one piece with a fork and the meat juice should run clear.

9. Turn off heat once chicken is cooked. Ladle into a serving bowl, garnish with spring onion and serve.

*Note: Do not eat foods that are too hot to prevent burning your mouths - patience is important when eating congee! Enjoy!

It makes 8-10 bowls of congee, depending on the size of your bowls. Boiling time is about one hour.

Joanne's Easy Bake: Easy Pure Beef Burgers

Joanne's Easy Bake: Easy Pure Beef Burgers: It's 'Burger Time' because it's Summer! Oh, how I love Summer! The thought of Summer reminds me of burgers - sunshine...

Easy Pure Beef Burgers

It's 'Burger Time' because it's Summer! Oh, how I love Summer! The thought of Summer reminds me of burgers - sunshine and warmer weather let us stay outside for a while because the days are longer and we can cook outdoor using the grill. We used to buy Angus beef burgers in boxes from the supermarkets because I didn't know how to make my own. The ones in boxes are getting pricier by the days, maybe because they are frozen and ready to be slapped onto the grill or onto the baking tray. But, I realized, making my own burgers isn't hard when I gave it a try and to my surprise, they taste better than the store bought and having less filler! I can also choose the amount of lean beef I want to use and experimenting with different flavors. These are really good because even Jonathan & Matthew say so :))) The ones shown here are really huge 1/2 pound and one is enough to fill me for the whole day!

Utensils Needed

One very large mixing bowl

Measuring spoons and cups

Baking tray

Parchment papers cut into size to separate the burger patties

Freezer-safe food containers to keep the extra in the freezer

Meat thermometer

Ingredients 

4 lbs or 1.79 kg lean ground beef (do not use extra lean unless you want very dry burgers)

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons dry mustard powder

3 teaspoons iodized fine sea salt

1 tablespoon onion powder (not onion salt)

4 teaspoons garlic powder (not garlic salt)

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper powder

1/2 cup Heinz ketchup

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1 large egg

Method

1. Measure and mix all the ingredients (except beef) in the large mixing bowl. Then add beef and mix them well using your clean bare hands. Do not squeeze the ground beef while mixing to avoid toughening the meat.

2. Once they are completely mixed, divide them equally (16 portions for 1/4 pound each & 8 portions for 1/2 pound each). 

3. Shape each portion into meat ball like shape and pat to flatten. Then place onto a pre-cut parchment paper and separate each portion from the other before storing them in freezer-safe food container and freeze until you wished to cook them.

4. If you are baking or grilling them immediately, you do not need to use parchment paper to separate them. Just place each portion separately on a lined baking tray or directly onto the hot grill.

5. Before you bake, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C and place burgers on lined baking tray and bake for 25 minutes until juices run clear (for quarter pound) and 30 - 35 minutes (for 1/2 pound) or when meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches 75 degrees C or well done.

Note: You must remove them immediately from oven once they are fully cooked. Do not leave in the oven, otherwise, they will become dry.

Enjoy them with all your favorite condiments! I like mine plain :)

Makes 16 quarter pound portions and 8 half pound portions

*For those who are more adventurous, you can try adding different spices and herbs. Please send your request by email and I can send you the ingredients for 'Cumin burger' and 'Italian herbs burger' which are also really good. Please send your request to woeihon@gmail.com