Seafood Congee

Wash the shrimp and separate the head from the body, slice the shrimp body in half, add cooking wine and white pepper powder and marinate.

This can effectively remove the fishy smell.

Prepare the ingredients in advance, cut ginger into strips, cut dried shiitake mushrooms into small cubes, cut Chinese celery into fine pieces, cut preserved vegetables into small pieces.

Heat a pan with a little oil, when oil is slightly hot, add shrimp heads and stir-fry until they turn red, fry out the shrimp oil. Use a spoon to crush the shrimp heads, making it easier to extract the shrimp oil later.

Pour in 13-15 bowls of water, because we don't want to add water again in the middle, so try to add enough at once. Also pour in the water from soaking dried scallops and mushrooms to enhance the aroma. Cook until it starts to boil slightly, the shrimp oil has been cooked into the water, remove the previously crushed shrimp heads.

Add the soaked dried scallops, you can add them whole, cook slowly, and crush the dried scallops later.

Add the mushroom cubes, stir to let the mushroom flavor cook into the congee water.

Add the prepared rice, you can use frozen rice.

After freezing, when encountering hot water, the rice is easier to break apart. Cook on high heat for 20-30 minutes, stir constantly to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom, also helps the rice grains to break apart.

Add the cut ginger strips, mix well, continue cooking.

When the rice grains break apart and the aroma comes out, add the marinated shrimp meat.

At this time, you can add other seafood together, such as crab, abalone, squid, etc.

Add 1 small spoon of peanut butter, mix well.

Adding peanut butter is the key to authentic Chaozhou method, and also the key to smooth congee water. Some regions also add a small spoon of lard, which has the same effect as peanut butter, enhancing aroma and smoothness.

Add the cut preserved vegetables, mix well.

Preserved vegetables are essential for Chaozhou seafood congee, this garlic flavor enhances the congee a lot. While stirring, crush the dried scallops to let the flavor blend more into the congee.

Add 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, mix well. Taste and add appropriate amount of salt to adjust the saltiness.

Before serving, add chopped Chinese celery, this is the key to enhancing aroma.

If you like green onions, you can sprinkle some chopped green onions.

The seafood congee is ready, serve and enjoy.