Teochew Fish Porridge
Teochew fish porridge is kinda like fish soup with rice. Most people eat it as a one-bowl meal. Any type of mild tasting white fish with a fine, smooth texture may be used, but it must be very fresh.
Besides good quality fish, my mother’s fish porridge has a special ingredient. It’s dried squid which must be: (1) julienned lengthwise; (2) soaked till completely soft; and (3) very lightly blanched in the porridge, just enough to make the julienned squid curl.
Dried squid lifts the umaminess of porridge to a higher level. But, if you don’t follow the three steps, it’ll be tough and rubbery. You’ll think there’re rubber bands in the porridge. You have been warned.
How do you tell if the fish you wanna buy is fresh?
(a) It doesn’t smell fishy. (b) The eyes are bright. (c) The gills are red. (d) It feels firm. (e) The skin is shiny. (f) All of the above.
If you choose “f”, then sorry, you’re wrong . . . mostly.
20 years ago, “all of the above” would have been the correct answer. These days, the fish may feel and look fresh because it’s preserved with formaldehyde, the stuff used by embalmers. Nice, eh?
So how do you tell if the fish is embalmed?
If the fish is cheap, such as ikan kuning, ikan selar or some farmed fish, it’s probably safe from chemicals added postmortem.
More pricey stuff, like large white pomfret and large sea prawns, are more likely to be preserved. Without a lab test, you can tell if it’s fresh only by eating it. If it looks and smells fresh but it’s tasteless although it’s wild caught, then you’ve been had.
When you’ve NOT been had, fish porridge is an absolute delight. It’s full of the sweetness of fresh fish, dried prawns, dried squid and 冬菜. It is light, with no fat other than a few drops of garlic or shallot oil, but it’s totally delicious.
Teochew Fish Porridge
Video
Ingredients
- 20 g dried prawns
- 10 g dried squid body
- 200 g white fish fillet
- 120 g long-grain jasmine rice
- 800-900 ml boiling water
- 1 tsp light soya sauce
- 1 tsp Tianjin/Tientsin pickled cabbage (天津冬菜)
- 1 tbsp spring onions cut 3-4 mm thick
- 1 tbsp fried garlic or fried shallots
- ground white pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse dried prawns. soak 10 minutes or longer in just enough water to cover20 g dried prawns
- Discard quill from dried squid. Cut crosswise about 3 cm long with scissors. Cut lengthwise into thin strips about 1 mm thick. Rinse. Soak in just enough water to cover till soft, about 20 minutes10 g dried squid body
- Rinse fish fillet. Slice bite-size 3-4 mm thick. Mix evenly with 1 tsp light soya sauce. Sprinkle with ½ tsp cornflour or tapioca starch. Mix thoroughly.200 g white fish fillet
- Put kettle on. Wash rice till water runs clear. Add dried prawns, along with soaking liquid, and 750 ml boiling water. Bring to a boil. Stir thoroughly to prevent rice from sticking. Keep rice boiling rapidly for 10 minutes, checking and stirring from time to time to make sure rice doesn't boil over.120 g long-grain jasmine rice, 800-900 ml boiling water
- Top up with boiling water if necessary, depending on how thin you like your porridge. Continue boiling rapidly till rice is just soft but surface is still smooth without any sign of turning mushy, another 5 minutes or so.
- Season porridge with 1 tsp light soya sauce and 天津冬菜. Add fish and stir through gently, over high heat. Turn off heat once porridge returns to a gentle simmer. Add dried squid, along with soaking liquid, and stir through. Remove pot from stove.1 tsp light soya sauce, 1 tsp Tianjin/Tientsin pickled cabbage
- Quickly taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Immediately transfer porridge to serving bowls to prevent fish from overcooking. Sprinkle with spring onions, fried garlic and ground white pepper. Serve immediately.1 tbsp fried garlic or fried shallots, 1 tbsp spring onions cut 3-4 mm thick, ground white pepper to taste
