Abalone Chicken Congee

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Update: First posted in Jan 2009, now updated with new photos and improved recipe.

Many Chinese celebrating Chinese New Year will be buying canned abalones during the festive season. Abalone is an auspicious luxury food item, as it signifies increasing abundance (年年’包’有余) in the coming year. I use abalone in a wide variety of dishes, such as steamboat, pen cai, yu sheng and braised abalone with mushrooms.

See Also:

• CNY Rice Porridge Recipe
• Nyonya Fish Maw Soup Recipe
• Chinese New Year Recipes

One of my all-time favourite abalone dishes will be this homely bowl of abalone chicken congee (鲍鱼鸡丝粥). The congee (or porridge depending on the texture you like) is really sweet as it is simmered in an umami stock consisting of scallops, chicken and abalone broth. It is a luxurious yet relatively light meal at the same time – definitely a wonderful dish to enjoy after a hearty reunion dinner.