Chicken abalone porridge

03 Jun 2007, ST

Ingredients

4 pcs conpoy

1 pc abalone strip

6 red dates

1.5 pcs of wai san (Japanese yam or dioscorea)

16 wolfberries

2 cups of Thai rice

1 medium-sized chicken

300g of pork spare ribs (the more bones, the better)

3 big bowls of water

1 can of Mexican abalone chives

sesame oil

salt and white pepper (to taste)

Method

Two days before

Wash conpoy, abalone strip, dried red dates, dioscorea and wolfberries. Soak in hot water before refrigerating overnight.

Day before:

1. Wash Thai rice before soaking in cold water to which a pinch of salt has been added.

2. Clean chicken and then blanch with boiling water. Do the same with the pork ribs.

3. Stuff chicken with conpoy, dioscorea and the abalone strip

4. In a slow cooker, place stuffed chicken, pork ribs, wolfberries and red dates. Fill with three big bowls of water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for at least eight hours or until chicken is tender (everything should fall apart with gentle prodding).

5. Separate meat from chicken and pork ribs. Keep conpoy. Shred abalone strip.

6. Place chicken, pork, conpoy and abalone strips in a shallow dish covered with soup stock.

7. Strain soup stock and place everything in fridge overnight.

D Day:

1. Remove coagulated fat from soup

2. Remove water from rice.

3. Slow-cook rice and soup stock for about 8 hours.

Before serving:

1. Add chicken, pork conpoy and abalone strips to porridge.

2. Garnish with sliced canned abalone and chives and drizzle sesame oil over.

Verdict: Porridge, said Chan, should be made with tender loving care. And you can taste the TLC in this smooth-as-tofu concoction. Some people blend their congee to get a smooth texture. Not Chan, who said the secret is to soak the rice overnight. The choice ingredients and the achingly flavourful stock conspire to make this absolutely slurp-worthy. You can taste it at Mimolette (55 Fairways Drive, tel: 6467-7748) at its Sunday brunch.