Sampan Congee

Sampan Congee River Merchants

In the past, in the western Xiguan district of Guangzhou, there was an area which took on the name Lychee Bay because of the lychee trees that grew on either side of the Pearl River there.

Some merchants would ride in sampan boats up and down the river selling congee. If somebody on shore or on another boat on the river wanted to buy some, the owner of the congee boat would pass out bowl after bowl of congee. These "Lychee Bay sampan congee boats" soon became famous.

Sampan congee utilizes a richness of ingredients, including fish, shrimp, lean pork, youtiao (Chinese fried dough), fried peanuts, and scallions. Some sampan congee recipes even call for jellyfish, beef, or squid. From its beginnings as a riverside snack, sampan congee gradually became a part of restaurants in other parts of the city as well. Nowadays, delicious sampan congee can be found everywhere in Guangzhou, from street-side eateries to high-end restaurants.

Ingredients

3/4 cup (150 grams) japonica rice
1.76 ounces (50 grams) grass carp
1.76 ounces (50 grams) dried squid
0.88 ounce (25 grams) dried scallop
0.35 ounce (10 grams) rice flour noodles
1.76 ounces (50 grams) peanuts
1 egg

Seasonings

0.17 ounce (5 grams) ginger
0.17 ounce (5 grams) scallion
2 teaspoons (7 grams) salt
1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) cooking wine
1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) sesame oil
appropriate amount of cooking oil

Please see measurements in grams to be more exact for all ingredients and seasonings.

Cooking Directions

Make the plain congee base

Wash japonica rice, and then soak for 30 minutes. Bring 6 ⅓ cups (1,500 milliliters) water to boil in pot over high heat. Add rice and bring to boil again, then reduce heat to low and cook for 45 minutes. Stir with spoon occasionally. Boil until rice is thoroughly cooked, creating a thick plain congee base.

Prepare all other ingredients

Wash and chop scallions. Wash, peel, and shred ginger. Soak dried squid in warm water for 3 hours, then wash and shred. Peel and devein dried scallops. Soak in warm water and then mince.
Wash and slice grass carp. Marinate with ½ teaspoon (2 grams) salt and cooking wine for 10 minutes.
Wash peanuts. Strain away excess water. Place in pot with appropriate amount of cooking oil and cook thoroughly over low heat. Remove from pot.
Extract egg yolk and beat it well. Heat a flat frying pan. Add appropriate amount of oil; add beaten egg yolk; fry over low heat to create a thin patch of fried egg. Let fried egg cool briefly, then cut into thin shreds.
Place rice flour noodles in bamboo strainer. Add appropriate amount of cooking oil to pot and it heat over medium heat until very hot. Add rice flour noodles; cook until they swell and are soft. Remove from pot and strain away excess oil.

Add ingredients and seasonings to plain congee base

Bring congee base from step 1 to rolling boil over high heat. Add shredded ginger, shredded dried squid, and dried scallops. Continue boiling for 5 minutes, then add sliced grass carp. As soon as this comes to a rolling boil, immediately turn off the heat. Use excess heat (with stove turned off) to cook the congee to completion.
Stir in 1 teaspoon (5 grams) salt. Sprinkle peanuts, fried rice flour noodles, shredded fried egg, chopped scallions, and sesame oil on top. Serve.