Recipe: Congee with spring onion-ginger sauce, peanut crispies and spinach
Our former colleague Emma de Thouars has a great love for Asian cuisine, and Chinese cuisine in particular. During her travels through Asia, she fell in love with tofu, because with this silky-soft product you can put the most delicious things on the table. In her new cookbook Tofu, Emma shows you everything you can do with tofu through forty different recipes, including this congee with spring onion-ginger sauce.
Emma: “Congee (Chinese savoury rice porridge) is one of the best things to eat when it’s grey outside, but with this fresh spring onion-ginger sauce it’s also completely spring-proof. Because congee is so wonderfully soft, crispies are a must. I’m using peanut crispies here, but basically anything works. You can also use ready-made fried onions or bhujia. If you can’t find broken rice, you can also use regular pandan rice. It will need to cook a little longer, and the result will be slightly less creamy.”
How to make congee with spring onion-ginger sauce, peanut crispies and spinach
- Halve the ginger and cut one half into thick slices. Put it in a pan together with the rice, Shaoxing, stock if using and 650 millilitres (750 millilitres if not using stock) of water. Bring to the boil, stir, turn the heat down and cover the pan with the lid. Simmer gently for approximately 45 minutes, until you have a soft, creamy rice porridge. Stir occasionally so the bottom doesn’t stick. I like my congee fairly loose and velvety, but some people eat it a little firmer and thicker. It’s up to you.
- Cut the other half of the ginger into thin strips (julienne) and put them in a heatproof bowl. Cut the spring onion into thin rings and add to the bowl with the ginger. Heat the oil in a small saucepan until very hot. Pour the hot oil over the ginger and spring onion so that it sizzles. Leave to cool slightly, then add the rice vinegar.
- When the congee is ready, fish out the pieces of ginger. Add the spinach and stir until completely wilted. Cut the tofu into small cubes and stir into the congee. Simmer gently for 1 minute so the tofu heats through. Divide the congee between 2 bowls, spoon the spring onion-ginger sauce over the top and finish with the peanut crispies.
Title: Tofu
Author: Emma de Thouars
Price: €23,99
Publisher: Nijgh & van Ditmar
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