A Little Winters Glee
As much as I love a good cream soup or chowder, I’ve been gravitating lately to soups that provide a wide range of textures and flavours.
I would have to say that congee is my ultimate comfort food; it is something that brings me straight back home to my family - filled with childhood memories. It is what I crave when I’m feeling sick or about to get sick and I know that I am far away from home.
Congee is the perfect dish to put on the table at the end of a long cold winters day. If you’re craving comfort food and you’re up for an exciting taste treat, you’ll enjoy a bowl or two of this. Plus it’s a one-dish dinner that you can whip up within an hour if you prep ahead.
Cambodian congee is pretty hard-core compared to those of some other Asian regions. We like to put all kinds of things in it, like intestine, liver, gizzards, blood cubes, pork and chicken meat, mushrooms, meatballs - you name it!
This rice soup has all of those qualities - The chicken broth is flavoured with ginger and garlic that are smashed to release their flavour with salty dried shrimp; the heat from the crushed peppers, fish sauce adds umami and some palm sugar add a little sweetness to it but not too much.
It is simple and hearty jook base that gets jazzed up with the addition of preserved chilli, crunchy bean sprouts, toasted peanuts, fresh herbs with a side of Chinese char kwai bread, slithers of thick rice noodles, lastly a squeeze of lime juice for some zest and you’ve got yourself the most warmest meal for the rest of the week.
