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Porridge + Sides. Great for cooking with friends.

· 7 min read

Porridge with sides

Inspiration: Repeat trip to Taiwan Porridge in Cupertino: https://maps.app.goo.gl/BwiSEV3XsVqxoUFH8

I loved:

  • How simple and flavorless the base is: its just rice and water
  • How savory the sides are: pork, bok choy, cucumber salad
  • The texture of the tofu noodles - they were very tender and pleasing to chew, unlike any other noodles I've had
  • In general I'm a sucker for mixing things together to taste for each bite, and this dish is perfect for that

My friend and I have been trying to meet more people and just in general socialize more, so we've been inviting people over for dinner. We would pick a recipe from one of the blue apron ones left from previous tenants. We wait for the guests to show up and then cook it altogether. Usually 4 max 6 people show up, this time we maxed out what the invites and pretty much everyone showed up with a crazy turnout off 12 people. I'm glad we pick this recipe because we had a lot of independent dishes that different people could be working on in parallel. Anyways posting this recipe here because I'm trying to get in the habit of posting written content, and I have already prepared the recipe section of the post to print out and give to people who came over.

Congee

https://www.ediblecommunities.com/recipes/the-best-congee/

4 servings ½ cup medium-grain rice

Maybe do a sweet-potato version?

Instructions

  • Prepare a steamer. Cut in 1 cube inch pieces. Steam sweet potatoes for 15 minutes.
  • Put the rice in a large pot. Add water to the pot. The more water you use, the thinner your porridge will be. I start with a 12:1 ratio—so six cups of water for this amount of rice—but if you like a thicker porridge, you can use as little as an 8:1 ratio.
  • Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a slow simmer. Stir the pot every so often so that the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom. After about fifteen minutes, the rice will look fully cooked. After half an hour, the grains will plump up to about five times their original size, but the mixture will still be fairly watery. After about 45 minutes, the porridge should reach a smooth, silky, creamy consistency. That’s when you know you’re done. (It’s a forgiving recipe. If the congee looks too thick, add some more water and let it cook down for a few more minutes. If it looks too thin and soupy, just cook until it thickens some more.)
  • Combine the sweet potatoes with the congee. Should not be seasoned - sides are heavily seasoned (hopefully).

Pork

https://yireservation.com/recipes/congee-with-minced-pork/

½ LB minced pork 1 slice ginger ½ tbsp Salt and pepper ¼ cup water 3 teaspoons sesame oil

Prepare the pork by mixing the minced pork with all the pork ingredients except the water. Add water slowly to the pork while stir the minced pork with a spoon in the same direction. Stop adding the water when the pork becomes lighter and well incorporated with water.

Bok choy

https://www.madewithlau.com/recipes/stir-fried-bok-choy See website - has best instructions with videos

(8 servings) 2 lb baby bok choy (larger bok choy works too) 4 clove garlic 4 tbsp corn oil 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp chicken bouillon (optional)

Instructions​

  • Peel away each individual stem, and toss them into a bowl of large water

  • Scrub your fingers along the bottom of each stem closest to the root. Dirt usually accumulates here.

  • Rinse under running water.

  • Drain the bok choy (1 lb) in a colander, and lay them flat onto a towel. It's important that we dry them before stir-frying.

  • We'll be trimming the bok choy by cutting the stems in half length-wise.

  • We can also optionally separate the leaves from the stalk. Sometimes my dad prefers to cook the stalks first, and then the leaves.

  • Heat the wok on high heat for 2-3 minutes.

  • While the wok heats up, we'll mince some garlic (2 clove).

  • Then, add corn oil (2 tbsp) until the oil is shimmering, or forming ripples across the surface.

  • It's important that the wok and oil get sufficiently hot.

  • Add the minced garlic, and then the bok choy stalks a few seconds later. Then, add the rest of the bok choy.

  • We'll be cooking everything for 6-8 minutes. We're looking for the stalks to soften a bit and the leaves to turn a more deep, vibrant green.

  • Right before we finish cooking, we'll add our salt (0.50 tsp), sugar (0.50 tsp), and chicken bouillon (0.50 tsp) (optional).

  • Especially for the salt and chicken bouillon, it's important to add this at the very end before plating, since they'll instantly start causing the bok choy to release moisture.

To stop the bok choy from overcooking, we'll want to transfer them onto a plate immediately.

Cucumber Salad

https://farahjeats.com/recipe/easy-asian-cucumber-salad/

Persian cucumbers Salt Sesame oil Light soy sauce Sugar Rice vinegar Chili oil Sesame seeds

Instricutions​

  • Rinse and slice one end of the cucumber at an angle.
  • Continue slicing at an angle. Slices should look more oval than round. Thickness should be up to preference.
  • Add to a bowl/container and sprinkle 1/2 tsp of salt.
  • Mix that well and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to draw out the water.
  • Drain the water and give the cucumbers a quick 10 seconds rinse before returning back to the bowl/container.
  • Add sesame oil, light soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, chili oil and sesame seeds.
  • Stir until well combined and serve. Enjoy!

Extra credit​

  • Sweat the cucumbers – Season the sliced cucumbers in a bit of salt and refrigerate for 20 minutes to 1 hour, then drain the water. The salt will draw out the excess moisture from the cucumbers – effectively “sweating” them – which leaves the cucumbers crunchy. This helps to prevent the salad from ending up in a pool of liquid with a watery dressing.

Tofu noodles

ChatGPT - wasn't able to find plain recepie

"Tofu Shirataki" noodles or "Tofu Noodles"

  • Rinse: Open the package and rinse the noodles thoroughly under cold water. This step is important to remove the liquid they are packed in, which sometimes has a strong odor.
  • Boil: Boil the noodles for 2-3 minutes. This helps to further remove any unwanted taste and improves texture.
  • Dry and Sauté (Optional): To give them a more noodle-like texture, after boiling, drain them and then sauté in a dry pan for a few minutes. This step dries them out and improves their texture.
  • Seasoning (Optional): While these noodles are great plain, especially as a side for congee, you can lightly season them with salt, soy sauce, or a dash of sesame oil if desired. However, if you prefer them plain as you mentioned, feel free to skip this step.
    • I think sesamie oil will work great!

Shoping list

Produce Section​

  • Sweet Potatoes: 2-3 medium-sized (optional for congee)
  • Baby Bok Choy: 4 pounds
  • Persian Cucumbers: 9-10
  • Garlic: 8 cloves
  • Ginger: 2 slices
  • Green Onions: a small bunch
  • Shallots: 2 medium-sized

Rice & Grains​

  • Medium-Grain Rice: 1 cup

Meat Section​

  • Minced Pork: 2 pounds

Refrigerated Section​

  • Tofu Shirataki Noodles / Tofu Noodles: 4-5 packages
  • Kimchi: 1-2 jars

Oils, Vinegars, & Condiments​

  • Sesame Oil
  • Light Soy Sauce
  • Rice Vinegar
  • Chili Oil (Optional)

Spices & Seasonings​

  • Chicken Bouillon (Optional)
  • Sesame Seeds
  • Pork Stock Powder

Cooking Oils​

  • Corn Oil