Congee with Chicken, Ginger and Scallions

So i was home sick today with a bit of an upset stomach. But i didn't let that stop me cooking; in fact, it presented the ideal opportunity for me to make something i've been wanting to make for a long time: congee!

Congee is a Chinese rice porridge soup; the most basic congee is simply a soup of salted rice cooked for a long time until the soup is thick and the rice is dissolving into the liquid. There are countless other versions, and you can be quite creative as to what you add to the congee: meat, fish, mushrooms, vegetables... anything really. 

This recipe follows closely to the other other congee i've ever had, made by my friend Mark. The ginger, amongst it's many other benefits, is said to aid digestion, and the soupy rice is filling and satisfying yet easy on the stomach. This is the eastern version of 'moms chicken soup' to cure what ails ya.

Curried Carrot & Chickpea Soup

Today it's 36 degrees. What did i decide to cook last night (and therefore have for leftovers today)... soup! I love my soups, but in 36 degree heat, yeah coulda thought that one through a bit better.

Nonetheless this is a soup i whipped up from my head to get rid of the chickpeas in my cupboard. My aim over the next few weeks is to cook stuff that uses what's in my freezer/pantry and doesn't add anything to it.

The culprit: Chickpeas.

I originally used natural yoghurt in this recipe instead of the cream, but found that cream works better in this case. Coconut milk would probably work even better.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup thickened cream
• 500gm carrots
• 1 leek
• 1 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1 heaped tablespoon curry powder
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp Ghee (oil can be used instead; ghee is a clarified animal oil)
  
• Salt and pepper to season

Method

Thinly slice the carrots and leeks.

Heat large pot over low heat; add ghee.

Add the leeks and allow to sweat for 5-10 minutes.

Add the carrots and garlic and turn up the heat to medium. Saute for 5 minutes.

Add chickpeas and curry powder and saute for 2 minutes, stirring powder through the vegetables.

Add the stock, and bring to the boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Transfer the soup to a blender in batched and puree finely.

Season to taste.

Just before serving, add the cream but be sure not to bring the soup to a boil (save a little bit for garnish)

$5 meals - Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

When i was little, my mum used to make me this soup. It was my favorite food, and when my birthday came around, and she asked me what i would like to eat on the day, it was often chicken and sweetcorn soup! Hers tastes so much better than the Chinese take-away variety, and doesn't have that sickly thickness that those soups seem to have. I've stuck pretty closely to the way that i think mum makes it, but i've omitted the ham (i forgot to buy it!). To add an extra dimension, add about 100gm of chopped up smoked ham to the soup at the start.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1L reduced salt chicken stock
• 500gm chicken fillets, skinless
• 3 scallions, thinly chopped
  
• Light soy for seasoning
• 4 small ears of corn, or about 2 cups of corn kernels.
  
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbs water

Method:

To shred the chicken first steam it for about 20 minutes to cook it through (better to overcook than under, as the soup will reduce any dryness anyway and its a little easier to shred when it's not super moist).

Let the chicken cool and then shred by hand (a laborious process, took me 2 episodes of Golden Girls!)

Set the chicken aside.

Remove the corn kernels from the ears by running a knife down the sides.

Puree 1/2 of the corn in a blender with a bit of the chicken stock.

Pour the puree, stock, chicken and remaining corn into a large pot and cook over medium heat for 1 hour, covered.

Add the scallions 5 minutes before ready to serve, reserving some for garnish.

(A bit that i forgot)

Lightly whisk the eggs with the tbsp of water.

Slowly pour the eggs into the soup, constantly stirring the soup with your other hand.

This will create thin whisps of egg throughout the soup which adds a different texture, and richness.

Taste the soup. If it needs it, add soy sauce to taste.

Eat up and think of mum.

Creole Cuisine: Red Beans & Rice

Red beans and rice incorporate the holy trinity of cuisine (celery, capsicum and onion) with kidney beans and smoked meats to create a cajun style, creamily textured stew, which makes for great comfort or winter food. The closest i can come to describing the taste is as a mix of frijoles and pea and ham soup.

Serves 5

Cooking Time
5 hours excluding soaking the beans overnight

Background on the dish
Red beans and rice is the emblematic dish of Louisiana Creole cuisine, and also be found as a staple food in Central America. It was traditional made on Monday or 'wash day' and left on the stove to cook away with ham leftover from the previous night, whilst the housekeepers washed the week's clothing.