Instead of the usual chicken congee, why not make flower crab congee instead? Unlike mud crabs, flower crabs are not sold alive therefore easier to handle. Chuck the crabs, rice and aromatic ingredients into the PHILIPS All-in-one cooker, cook under pressure and have a sea-flavoured congee in no time!
This recipe is one that I developed for the Philip’s All-In-One Cooker. I tested this recipe again and again for a duration that I didn’t want to eat any kind of congee. I tried once using just water (instead of stock). Despite flavoured with umami-rich fish sauce, something is still missing. So I decided to add some chicken stock powder; it tasted much better. Then I used ikan bilis stock. The results? Awesome!
It’s quite easy with the All-In-One Cooker, or better known as ‘Instapot’. It’s a pot that allow you to do multiple things like frying, pressure cooking and slow cooking. What I did: make ikan bilis stock using the pressure cooking function, scoop ikan bilis out, chuck in all ingredients for the soup and pressure cook. So easy!
I really like how delicious and impressive this dish taste and look, but the fact is it’s incredibly easy to make. As flower crabs are not sold alive, you don’t have to worry about handling a crab with claws that might snip your finger off (I love mud crab but I really don’t look forward to killing it). I like that I can make the stock in the same pot. Then, it’s just a matter of tossing ingredients into the machine, press a button and wait for a little more than 20 minutes. That’s it!
RECIPE CARD
FLOWER CRAB CONGEE (FA HAI CHUK / 花蟹粥)
Ingredients
- MAIN INGREDIENTS
- 700 g (2 large) flower crabs, cleaned and chopped into half
- 200 g (1 ½ rice cup) jasmine rice, wash and drained
- 20 g (4 pcs) dried scallops
- 20 g (10 slices) of ginger, sliced
- 40 g (4 pcs) white parts of spring onions, crushed
- 1800 L (15 rice cup) of anchovies stock/ ikan bilis stock
- SEASONINGS
- Fish sauce to taste
- Salt to taste
- 1 stalk spring onions, chopped
Directions
- Step 1 Rinse and scrub crab to wash dirt off. Remove the shell and its innards. Then break off the claws and chop its body into half.
- Step 2 Toss in flower crab, rice, scallops, ginger, spring onions and anchovies stock into a large pot. Cover lid and bring to a boil.
- Step 3 Leave the lid slightly open and reduce heat to medium low. Cook for 1 ½ hours or until rice turns into a smooth, congee-like consistency.
- Step 4 Stir from time to time to prevent the congee from sticking to the bottom of the pot. If congee becomes too thick, add more water.
- Step 5 When ready, dish out crab. Season congee with fish sauce and salt. Stir to mix well.
- Step 6 Dish out congee and garnish with spring onions. Serve hot.
SHORT RECIPE
Toss 2 chopped flower crabs + 1.5 cup rice + 4 pcs scallops + 10 slices ginger + 4 pcs white spring onions + 1.8L anchovies stock. Boil then simmer until rice turns into congee. Season with fish sauce + salt + green spring onions.
COOK IN 20 MINUTES USING THE ALL-IN-ONE COOKER / PRESSURE COOKER
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes: 2 servings
INSTRUCTIONS: USING THE PHILIPS ALL-IN-ONE COOKER
- Rinse and scrub crab to wash dirt off. Remove the shell and its innards. Break off the claws and crush it slightly with a pestle. Then chop its body into half.
- Toss in flower crabs, rice, scallops, ginger, spring onions and anchovies stock into PHILIPS All-In-One Cooker inner pot.
- Close the lid and turn the valve towards the ‘SEAL’ position.
- Press ‘PRESSURE COOK’ and press ‘START’
- When ready, wait until the pressure is naturally released and the floater has dropped. Then open the top lid.
- Dish out crab. Then, season congee with fish sauce and salt. Stir to mix well.
- Dish out congee and garnish with spring onions. Serve hot.
COOKING TIPS
- Make anchovies stock (50 g of anchovies to 1 L of water) in 10 minutes using the pressure cooker function.
- I can’t stress enough that it is very important to use ikan bilis stock. If you don’t have anchovies stock, add ½ tsp chicken stock granules into water.
- The fish sauce seasoning is also very important; it not only gives the salty but umami taste. Using salt alone is not enough.
- Note: Rice measuring cup is smaller ie. about 180 ml, ¾ of a metric measuring cup (250 ml).
- The ratio of rice to water is 1: 10.
This and many other recipes are available in my cookbook, ‘One Pot Wonders’
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