Porkie Porridge

I like porridge... do you like it? I remember whenever my mum made porridge, I would put a teaspoon full of marmite. My mum would always say, 'SO salty!!! Afterwards your hair will drop...' But I never listen. It's too good! Having too little of marmite, there's no kick in my porridge.

Anyways, I know that there are different kinds of texture one can make a porridge. Personally, I prefer the thicker version and the smooth version. Not really a fan of the Teo Chew version - watery kind (i think). But I still eat lah, if you serve it to me : P It is still food mah...

Ok ok back to topic... the thick ones tend to be 'chunky' and lots of condiments. I think most home cooking style is this version... or only my mother's : P The smooth version, if not mistaken, has been blended slightly such as those eaten at Dim Sum restaurants or those fancy Chinese restaurants.

So, I thought... 'Hmmm... let's try and make porridge for dinner.' In my mind, I thought, 'How hard can it be? It's just porridge...put rice, add meat / veggies, put more water in rice cooker... On it and done.' And so, I did that for the first time and it sort of worked. The porridge was cooked and it has the thick texture that I liked. However, the drawback was that the rice at the bottom was burnt and got stuck there. We scraped out a lot but the remainder of it was kinda wasted. Plus, the rice cooker was super dirty because the water overflowed from the container. The whole experience of porridge cooking was quite messy and I didn't like the mess (means need to clean more apart from washing the dishes & pots!)

To cut the long story short, I think I've figured out how to cook a porridge that is smooth and it doesn't overflow from the rice cooker. LOL! Probably it was the 5th or 6th attempt only I got it right : P

And so here it goes!

First, wash your rice as though you would normally wash them. If you want your porridge to have the less 'starchy' texture, then I suggest that you 'rub' the rice as you rinse them. When you 'rub' the rice, it removes the starch layer from the rice. Then fill water into the rice container, with double portion volume compared to boiling rice. Sounds a little German? OK, I shall try and break this down alittle bit...

Normally, when we boil rice, the water 'height' should be at the first 'column' of your middle finger. Yep, Chinese people use the agak-agak method, no proper metric measurements ^_^ So for porridge, just ensure the water 'height' is almost reaching to the 2nd column. Don't worry if the water is too much or too little, the solution is simple - Too little water = add more water later; too much water = boil longer : P

Wipe the outside part of the container dry and place it in the rice cooker. When the water starts to boil, place in your veggie. For this round, I use mince pork as meat for my porridge. Marinate the mince with a couple of dashes of white pepper and dollops of oyster sauce. Mix them well and flatten the meat out in a bowl or a plate. While the water is still boiling, use a spoon and gently scrape little chunks of meat into the water. Occasionally, stir the condiments so that they do not get stuck. While you're stirring it, make sure there is no grain of rice get stuck at the base.

Saw this 'method' at the local pork noodle stall : )

Keep repeating the occasional stir for about 20 minutes, with the lid open all the time. The rice should be cooked by that time. Once you're happy with the texture you desired, turn off the switch and close the lid to keep warm.

That's it!

Nice and clean rice cooker.. yes!!!

The outcome of this is that you'll have a smooth porridge. If you wish the texture to be even smoother, I supposed you can scoop some out and blend them in a food processor. Personally, I think the rice will be broken into small bits because of the constant stirring - au naturale! Another point to remember is not to over-marinate your meat, regardless it is chicken or mince pork. I notice that whenever there is 'marinate juice', it will sink underneath the rice and caused the rice to burnt and get stuck. That was my mistake in my first 2 attempts... hehehe. Last but not least, remember to reduce the rice portion when you want to make porridge. This is because the rice will expand due to more water and hence, the portion will be more than the normal rice portion.

TheLoyalFan says: 'This thick porridge was very good comfort food, especially on a cold night. I ate mine at lots of soya sauce. Nom nom nom...'

Mmm... Indeed a very good comfort good. We had this twice this week already : P Yum yums!

Till then, keep nomming!