This beauty is a classic Chaozhou dish, simple to prepare and oh so delicious and heartwarming to consume. For the easeful time and effort put into preparing this dish, the tastiness output is off the charts! This Chaozhou Oyster Congee 潮州蠔仔粥 consists of a smooth rice congee base to which are added snips of flavorful preserved vegetables, marinated minced meat and, most importantly, plump and luscious baby oysters. A sprinkle of umami packed dried flounder power and fresh green cilantro finish off the congee to perfection.
Chaozhou city 潮州 lies along the coast of Guangdong province 廣東省 and for this reason their cuisine is one of glorious celebration of the bountiful riches of the sea. (See our Wandering Eats post on Chaoshan Raw Pickled Seafood...omgosh so yumyum...) For this traditional congee dish the Chaozhou celebrate the salty, briny, slippery and smooth beauty of the oyster, specifically the baby oyster, more tender than tender.
To prepare the oysters there is a special trick to clean, firm up and, most importantly, prevent them from shrinking. Cornstarch and salt are added to the raw oysters, then very gently massaged in. Cold water is added, swirled around and repeated a few times until it runs clear. Oysters stay plump and delicious. Pretty cool trick that totally works!
We bought our baby oysters at our local supermarket. They always have these available, I think because there is a large population of Chaozhou Chinese in HK. The baby oysters can also be found at the wet markets in Hong Kong. Frozen oysters can also be used in a pinch but buy baby oyster size and not the full size ones.
A bit of minced pork, first marinated in a soy based marinade, adds a lovely flavor to the congee as well as providing a nice textural contrast to the smoothness of the congee and the oysters.
A special addition to the congee is Chinese preserved vegetable 咸菜 or 腌菜. The Chinese have all kinds of vegetables preserved by pickling with salt or brine. The fermentation of the vegetable transforms both the texture and the taste, the texture getting a crunch and the taste getting a wonderfully nuanced umami boost.
For this type of congee the preserved vegetable typically used is Luobo Gan, sun-dried radish 蘿蔔幹, also known as Chai Po 菜脯. You can, however, use any kind of Chinese preserved vegetable you like; I think that most of them will do the trick just fine, adding umami flavor and a bit of chewy texture.
We ended up using a preserved vegetable made from sun-dried and brined kohlrabi, also known as German turnip or turnip cabbage. The kohlrabi has a funny Chinese name, 大頭菜, which translates literally to "big headed vegetable". The preserved kohlrabi 大頭菜干 (photo above) has become a traditional specialty of the Shunde Jun’an 顺德均安 area and is known for its sweet, slightly spicy taste and tender yet crispy texture.
Look for Chinese preserved vegetables at your local HK wet market, where many vegetable market stalls make their own preserved veggies for sale. You can also find some of them at the Asian groceries where they are pre-packed for convenience.
Here is the preserved kohlrabi, diced into small pieces, perfect for a burst of texture and umami in the congee. Also we have our washed and roughly chopped cilantro for topping the congee. A bit of green really visually offsets the whiteness of the congee while the freshness of the cilantro perfectly accents the smooth rice and seafood flavors.
An extra trick for the cilantro that we like to use: save the washed roots of the cilantro to add into the congee. The cilantro roots add an earthy, herby aromatic depth to the congee that contrasts the mildness of the rice flavor.
Can you feel it? All these simple ingredients are layering up to make this congee fabulously tasty! To topple the balance firmly to the super fabulous, we present the most incredible aromatic, the secret to the sauce: dried flounder powder 大地魚粉. To use this powder is like adding a super concentrated dose of seafood umami. It is the secret to the legendary tasty wonton fillings and soup broth!
The flounder (or sole) fish 大地魚 is sun dried before being sold whole or as a powder. If you buy whole dried flounder (available at the wet markets) you will need to chop it into small pieces before adding to the congee. It's lovely in small pieces because you get a nice crunch along with the burst of umami.
The dried flounder powder 大地魚粉 is, however, easier to find and more convenient to use. It's easily found in most stores that sell asian dried spices. Be aware that the powder, after a while, may lose some of its 'oomph'. To perk the flavor back up, there is an easy trick: just stir fry the powder over a very low heat until fragrant again. When completely cooled return to the jar. Dried flounder fish powder refreshed and ready to use, just sprinkle onto the finished congee!
Here is our congee with minced pork, oysters, preserved kohlrabi and coriander root already added in. Looks gorgeous, no? Note that the texture of this oyster congee is more close to rice porridge than the traditional congee which is smooth and velvety with the rice grains completely melted. This particular oyster congee calls for quicker cook, producing a more watery slurpable congee in which the rice grains are just burst.
Give or take a half an hour and you'll have this most comforting and yummilicious seafood congee ready for the table, be it for dinner or just for a heart warming snack. This is some major nom, nom congee action, simple to make and totally addictive: you'll fall in love with this Chaozhou Oyster Congee 潮州蠔仔粥 for sure!
Chaozhou Oyster Congee 潮州蠔仔粥
(5 servings) Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
Pork
- 5 oz minced pork, 150g
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Oysters
- 16 oz baby oysters 蠔仔, 450g
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
Congee
- 1 1/2 cup leftover cold rice (or 1/2 cup uncooked rice)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 4 cups water
- 5 tbsp Chinese preserved vegetables 腌菜, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, sliced to very thin matchsticks (optional)
- pinch salt, as needed
Aromatics
- 3 tsp dried flounder powder 大地魚粉
- 1 sprig coriander, roughly chopped
Directions:
Marinate the pork: In a mixing bowl, add in minced pork, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and 1 tsp cornstarch. Mix together and let marinate for at least 15 mins.
Prepare the oysters: In a large mixing bowl add in oysters, 2 tbsp cornstarch and 1 tsp salt. Use hand to very gently mix together, taking care not to break the oysters which will be quite delicate. Remove any bits of oyster shell. Add cold water to cover by an inch or two and swirl gently. Drain the water. Repeat adding cold water and swirling a couple more times until the water runs clear and the oysters are no longer slimy. Drain completely.
Prepare the preserved vegetables: Depending on the type of preserved vegetable you decide to use, you may need to soak the vegetable first to reduce the saltiness. Test a small piece first. If 'very' salty soak in a couple of changes of cool water until the saltiness is 'normal', then dry and dice. If just 'normally' salty dice into small pieces. The 'normal' saltiness of the preserved vegetable will help to flavor the congee.
Prepare the ginger: Slice the ginger (if using) to very, very thin matchsticks.
Make the congee: If using leftover rice, add the cold cooked rice, stock and water to a large pot. Heat over high heat until boiling, then turn the heat down to medium, add preserved vegetables and simmer for around 15- 20 mins or until the rice grains burst open.
If using uncooked rice, rinse the rice first, then add to already boiling stock and water. When the pot boils again, turn heat down to low, give it a stir and add preserved vegetables. Cover part way and let cook at a simmer for 35-40 mins or until the rice grains burst open.
Add the pork: Add the minced pork and stir until the pork is separated and has changed color.
Add oyster: Add ginger matchsticks. Stir to distribute. Turn off the heat and add the oysters, stir to distribute, cover the pot and let the cook in the residual heat for 3 mins or until the oysters are just cooked. Remove immediately from heat. Taste and add salt if necessary.
Serve: Ladle congee into serving bowls. Add a sprinkle of powdered flounder fish and chopped cilantro to top off each bowl. Serve hot and yummilicious!
Congee-liciousness at The Hong Kong Cookery:
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