Sunday, 28 June 2015

FOOD RECIPES - DRIED SCALLOP Rice Porridge or Conpoy Congee Recipe

Dried scallop porridge or conpoy congee is one of the most earthy and comforting chinese dry seafood delicacy. Just like JEONBOKJUK or Korean Abalone Porridge, this scallop porridge or conpoy congee is considered as a immune system booster for elderly people, newly giving birth mother and also post sickness patients. In chinese descent culinary, dried scallop is one of luxury items. Luxurious ingredients deserved to be paired with my Homemade Superior Stock/Broth that made of  beef bone marrow, malay/kampung chicken, and mushrooms and conpoy soaking liquid. Actually, i used to made a superior stock with crumbled dried scallop/conpoy, but fot this recipe i let the scallop whole .




Conpoy is actually dried scallop that made of the adductor muscle of scallops or shell clams that preboiled and then dried with under the sun ray or electric oven. Once the liquid content reduced, the flavour is contentrated, that’s what made the smell of dried scallop or conpoy is pungent, oceanic and reminiscent of certain salt-cured meats. Dried scallop got a concentrated rich and umami  taste due to its high content of  amino acids, such as glycine, alanine, and glutamic acid that easily blown your taste buds.




I am using an kerang kampak (axe clams) dried scallop for this poriddge  recipe. This scallop also called kerang kapak in Indonesia or callo de hacha Scallops in Mexico. The shape and the size of the kerang kampak scallops is a sort of kidney. This scallop is much more bigger than common scallop, as you seen the comparison beetween the axe clams scallop with  the medium size common scallop on photograph above.The shell of kerang kampak could reach more than 30 cm and the size of the scallop (abductor muscle) could reach 10 cm. Since finding dried scallop is not that easy in Indonesia, i dried it for myself, beside i can make sure there’s no additive and also preservatives on my dried scallop.  The medium size of regular scallop on the second photograph cost me about 22 USD for only a 100 grams, pretty damn pricey!.


How to soaking and preparing dried scallop before cooking is another following step that actually a key for making a delicious porridge. I like to soaked the scallop in the fridge overnight, you can add some ginger and also rice wine on this step to reduce the fishy smells. Once the dried scallop is soften you can shredded it or cooked it whole. NEVER WASTE THE DRIED SCALLOP SOAKING LIQUID! make sure you retain the soaking water as it will be highly flavored and can be added to whatever you are cooking. For preparing the rice for making the porriddge, mix the rinsed rice with a bit of oil and salt before boiling it. The rice will be broken down very quickly and produce a very nice starchy texture.



Rice porridge with dried scallop or conpoy congee is called bubur kerang scalop in Bahasa Indonesia. You could find this menu on several kopitiam or chinese cofee shop in your town. Conpoy rice porridge is usually served as a morning supper. Common condiment fot it is sambal (chilli sauce), runny poached egg, cakweh (deep fried savoury buns) and garnished with chopped  chillies, bawang goreng (deep fried shallots), garlic chieves and scallion. A dash of white peppercorn and also sesame oil as a last touch made it just perfect.

 



 

Dried Scallop Rice Porridge or Conpoy Congee Recipe:


INGREDIENTS:

  • 100 gr prepared/rehydrated dried scallop or conpoy
  • 100 gr rice, cleaned in running water until the water is clean, soaked 30 minutes and drained, rub with 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp oil, set aside
  • 1/2 deboned kampong/malay chicken breast (similiar with free range chicken)
  • 3 chinese mushrooms, soaked 30 minutes before cooking, thinly slice
  • 2 bulbs or garlic (yes, you it’s BULBS, not cloves!)
  • 3 shallot, finely chopped
  • 3 cm ginger, bruised
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp shaoxine rice wine
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 8 cups SUPERIOR STOCK
  • salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTION :

  • Heat up the oil in the wokpan until sizzling hot, quick saute the garlic, shallot and the ginger until slightly browned
  • Add the mushrooms and chicken breast , continue saute for about 2 minutes, set aside



  • Meanwhile, put the soaked rice, SUPERIOR STOCK,  garlic bulbs, prepared dried scallop, and the soaking liquid into a crockpot or heavy bottom pan, bring it to boil
  • Put the sauteed chicken breast mixture into the pot
  • Add the oyster sauce, rice wine, soy sauce and season with salt and pepper
  • Pour the chicken stock into the pan, bring  to boil
  • Simmer and continue stirring to prevent the rice sendiment sticking in the bottom of the pan
  • If you like , pour the raw egg just before it serve and cover the pan
  • Serve with the garnish

Garnish for serving:

  • poached  egg
  • sambal
  • chopped bird’s eye chillies
  • chopped garlic chieves

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