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Milkfish belly congee
Sat-ba̍k-hî-muê (虱目魚粥): Tainan's breakfast of rice in clear broth with silky poached milkfish belly
Tainan breakfast stalls open before six for this, ladling it into bowls beside plates of fried dough sticks and braised fish skin. It is not the thick Cantonese kind: cooked rice is simmered briefly in a light, ginger-scented broth, so the grains stay separate, and slices of rich, boneless milkfish belly are poached in it until just set, then showered with celery, fried shallots and white pepper. Milkfish is farmed in the ponds around Tainan; look for boneless frozen belly in Asian supermarkets, or use sea bass belly. The error most cooks make is boiling the belly hard, which breaks the soft fat and clouds the broth. Chef's tip: lower the slices into the pot skin-side down and keep the liquid just shivering; the belly firms gently and keeps its sweet, silky layer of fat.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 7 oz jasmine ricerinsed until the water runs clear
- 1 ¼ cups waterfor cooking the rice
- 5 ¾ cups light fish or chicken stock
- ⅔ oz fresh gingercut into fine matchsticks
- 14 oz boneless milkfish bellythawed if frozen, cut into 4 cm pieces (or sea bass belly)
- 1 tsp saltto taste
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
To serve
- 2 stalks Chinese celeryfinely chopped (or ordinary celery)
- 3 tbsp crisp fried shallots
- 1 tbsp shallot oil (optional)or the oil from frying the shallots
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 7 oz jasmine rice and 1 ¼ cups water in a small pan, bring to the boil, then cover and cook over the lowest heat until the water is absorbed and the rice is just tender.
12 minStep 2: Meanwhile, bring 5 ¾ cups light fish or chicken stock to the boil with ⅔ oz fresh ginger and simmer for 10 minutes, until the broth smells clearly of ginger.
10 minStep 3: Fluff the rice and add it to the broth. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, until the grains swell slightly but still hold their shape. Don't stir hard, or the broth turns cloudy.
5 minStep 4: Season the broth with 1 tsp salt. Turn the heat down until the surface barely trembles.
Step 5: Pat 14 oz boneless milkfish belly dry and run your fingers over the flesh; pull out any stray pin bones with tweezers.
Step 6: Lower the milkfish into the broth skin-side down in a single layer and poach for 3–4 minutes, without stirring, until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily at the thickest point.
4 minStep 7: Ladle the rice and broth into warmed bowls and lift the fish on top with a slotted spoon, keeping the pieces whole.
Step 8: Finish each bowl with ½ tsp ground white pepper, 2 stalks Chinese celery, 3 tbsp crisp fried shallots and a few drops of 1 tbsp shallot oil, and serve at once with fried dough sticks if you have them.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does milkfish belly congee take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of jasmine rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of light fish or chicken stock?
- Vegetable stock, same amount.
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