Abalone Chicken Congee

Abalone Chicken Congee 鲍鱼鸡丝粥

Today is Lunar New Year’s Eve, here’s wishing everyone a happy lunar niu year!

My mum gave me 2 cans of abalone last year during Lunar New Year and I didn’t bother to cook them till now because I am not a fan of abalone and the expiry is in 2011 or something. But since B loves abalone, I decided to cook him a hearty bowl of abalone congee this year. Chinese love to consume abalone during the Lunar New Year festive season because like pineapples, abalone sounds auspicious. It is a common addition to the steamboat during reunion dinner but if you have a spare can or two, why not venture using it out of steamboat, and try this delicious and hearty bowl of abalone porridge? You can also substitute abalone with the less costly vegetarian abalone or bao bei (pacific clams). The congee broth is really sweet after all the brewing and simmering.

Some essential ingredients that make the Abalone Chicken Congee (Porridge) sweet

Ingredients
(Serves 4)
- 1 can of abalone
- 2 chicken legs/drumsticks (about 400g)
- 8 dried scallops
- 8 red dates
- 2 carrots, peeled & cut to small pieces
- 2 tbsp deep fried anchovies
- 1 cup rice
- water
- Coriander (garnishing)
- white pepper

Directions

1. Slice the abalone to thin slices and reserve the abalone broth for later.
2. Boil chicken in about 1000ml of water (add more water if not enough to cover chicken) for 20 minutes. Take out the chicken and shred it. Strain the chicken broth (to remove scum) and reserve for later. Also reserve the chicken bones.
3. Wash dried scallops then soak them in a shallow dish of water. When the dried scallops have softened, gently separate them to strands. Reserve the water from soaking the dried scallops.
4. Rinse rice until water runs clear, add to a pot with the shredded scallops, chicken bones, red dates, carrots, anchovies and 1200ml of water.
5. Bring to a boil. Leave the lid partially open and reduce heat to medium. Stir the bottom of the pot every now and then to prevent the rice from sticking to the base.
6. Simmer for about 20 minutes. By then, some of the water have evaporated. Add the water from soaking the dried scallops, about 3/4 of the abalone stock as well as 3/4 of the chicken broth.
7. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes, until the porridge reaches a congee consistency.
8. Cook the abalone slices for 1 minute. Serve abalone slices, shredded chicken, ground pepper and coriander leaves on top of the congee.
9. After some time, the congee will soak up the broth and thicken. You can stir in the remaining chicken stock and abalone broth whenever that happens to keep it smooth and runny.

Abalone Chicken Congee 鲍鱼鸡丝粥, a Lunar New Year indulgence

Ingredients Used abalone • Chicken • Rice