From the Kitchen :Chicken Porridge with Peanuts

Need something to combat the cold? Could not be asked to make things that would require more than one pot? Here is a traditional porridge recipe that is very simple, which is delicious and also nourishing.

Here we go!

Chicken Porridge with Peanuts

2/3 cup of rice
700 ml of water

1 century egg, cubed
2 chicken thighs
chicken bones (as many as possible)

1 knob of ginger, sliced
2 sprigs of spring onions

2 tbsp of fish sauce
1 tbsp of soy sauce
pepper to taste

dried seafood (such as mussels, prawns and scallops), soaked for at least 1 hr
1/2 cup of peanuts, soaked for at least 1 hr


Steps:

Where it all starts

1. Wash your rice and leave it to soak for about an hour before cooking.

The storm before that rainbow

2. After the soaking, add in all your ingredients (except the century egg) and leave it to boil on the lowest flame possible for about 45 minutes or when you get a silky texture.

3. Remove the chicken bones. Add the century egg a this point.

What a mess!

4. Stir occasionally to prevent the bottom from burning.

Chicken pulled. On with the next one. 

5. Now, the chicken would have been cooked through. Remove it from the porridge and remove the meat off the bone.

6. Once all the meat has been removed, put the chicken back into the pot.

Finished product!

7. Top the porridge with a splash of sesame oil and sliced spring onions and it is ready to be served!

This recipe is very simple and is my go to when I really could not be asked to do tedious prep. However, as you might have noticed, one of the key ingredients is time. You would need to soak some of the ingredients in water way in advance before the cooking starts. However, with a bit of time management, this will be a non-issue.

Working on those dry ingredients. 

Also, some people may say the dried seafood is optional. I do agree to a certain extent, as they are quite expensive. This is especially so for the scallops. But the flavour they bring is phenomenal and will bring your porridge from some plain congee to dim sum style bowl of awesome. Also, if you do intend to use dried seafood, keep the water and incorporate it into your cooking. That water is already infused with that sweetness the mussels and scallops produces.

So happy cooking!