Never eat a plain congee again,
because my dad’s Sliced Fish Congee
will change your porridge game.
Daddy Lau will teach us how to
harness the delicate flavors of fish
to get this heart-warming dish just right.
We’ll start with preparing the aromatics.
Hello, friends!
How are you?
First, we'll cut the ginger and green onions.
Dice the green onions.
First, we’ll dice up just the green parts of the green onions.
How many oz of green onion is that?
Rather than oz, let's say two stalks.
It's an accompanying ingredient.
This goes on at the end.
Slice the ginger into thin slices.
We’ll first cut up the ginger into thin slices.
About 1 oz of ginger.
Then lay the slices down and cut into thin strips.
These all go on top at the end.
A few sprigs of cilantro.
This is also a garnish.
If you don't like cilantro, omit it.
If you love it, add more! It doesn't matter.
We have all of these ingredients listed on our blog at madewithlau.com
along with step-by-step instructions and video clips
to guide you as you make the recipe at home.
After we finish cutting the garnishes, we'll slice the fish.
That way, you don't need to change cutting boards.
This fish is sole.
Press the excess water out.
First, we’ll squeeze out any excess water from the fish.
"What kind of fish do you use?"
Any fish works!
My favorite fish isn't available here.
They don't have grass carp here.
Those are farmed freshwater fish.
There are plenty of choices here.
Grouper, any fish you can slice.
Sole, like we used.
As my dad mentioned,
any fillet of white fish will work
such as cod, halibut, or even tilapia.
As always, we suggest checking out
Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch website
to find sustainable options.
These two pieces together are 10 oz.
When cutting fish, don't make the pieces too thin.
Overly thin pieces will be more prone to breaking.
They won't stay whole.
Cut the fish slices a bit thick.
Why do you cut them at an angle?
At an angle, to get bigger pieces.
See?
Now, we’ll cut the fish at an angle
into roughly 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick slices.
For more comprehensive lessons on knife technique and safety,
we’re super excited to invite you
a membership where you’ll learn
to cook and think just like a Cantonese chef.
First off, Made With Lau is here to stay
and we’ll still be sharing recipes & tips on YouTube
every single week.
So if memberships aren’t your thing, no pressure.
But, for those of you who are super curious and passionate,
if you want an expert to walk you through,
step-by-step,
how to master Cantonese cooking,
then this might be perfect for you.
In the Canto Cooking Club,
we’re not just giving you recipes.
For less than the cost of takeout,
we’re distilling my dad’s 50 years of experience
into organized, easy-to-follow classes,
teaching you how to set up your kitchen,
how to use a wok,
how to craft & improvise with different flavors,
and more.
When you join,
you get instant access to everything,
and every month,
you’ll get a new class to build on your foundation,
with videos, printouts, and mastery recipes.
It’s all on-demand,
so you can learn at your own pace
and not have to show up at specific times.
Also, in our private community,
you’ll get to connect directly with Daddy Lau,
make new friends,
and cultivate better cooking habits
through our weekly challenges.
So, if you want cooking to feel more effortless and intuitive,
go to club.madewithlau.com
or click the link in our description to sign up.
After slicing, we’ll marinate the fish.
1 tbsp of cornstarch.
Don't mix it in yet.
1/2 tsp of salt.
Just a bit of flavor.
1/4 tsp of white pepper.
1 tbsp of water.
Loosen the mixture.
Mix it up first.
We’ll first mix the seasonings together
on one side of the bowl.
The cornstarch protects the fish and makes it tender.
Once it's mixed up, mix it with the fish.
Then we’ll mix it in with the fish.
All right.
Add an egg white.
The egg white keeps the fish from turning yellow.
Then we’ll add one egg white to the fish.
The yolk stays up here while the white flows down, right?
All right.
Use chopsticks to gently mix.
We’ll mix gently so we don’t break apart the fish.
The egg white and the cornstarch will make the fish tender.
Add 1 tsp of oil.
After adding oil, we’ll continue mixing,
making sure all the fish is coated in oil.
Our ingredients are ready.
Let's wash the rice to make congee.
We're using 1/2 lb of rice today.
Let's wash the rice.
To start, we’ll wash the rice with water.
If you're feeding a crowd, make more.
If you're serving less people, make less.
The amount is up to you.
If you don't finish it, put leftovers in the refrigerator.
As always, we’ll wash 3 times,
pouring out the starchy water
and using clean water each time.
Do you wash it three times?
Yes, 2-3 times, but it's up to you.
I'm used to washing three times.
How do you know that you've washed it enough?
See if the water runs clear.
As long as the water is not as cloudy as before.
All right, our rice is washed.
Our ingredients are chopped and our rice is washed.
Now, we'll start making the congee.
If you like it thicker, use less water.
If you like thinner congee, add more water.
The ratio I usually use
is 6-7 cups of water for 1/2 lb of rice.
I'll use 6 cups of water today.
If it looks too thick at the end, add boiling water.
Let's get started.
I'm adding boiling water to save time.
6 cups of water.
We’ll add 6 cups of boiling water into a pot.
Turn it to high heat.
Add rice after it comes to a boil.
Here's a tip for everyone:
after you add rice to your congee,
give it one stir and then leave it alone.
If you stir it, it'll be more prone to sticking to the pot.
To us Cantonese people,
the congee base is the most important part of good congee.
If your congee base is good,
then your congee will be wonderful and satisfying.
Making a good congee base takes time.
All right, the water is boiling.
Add the rice.
When the water boils, we’ll add in our rice.
After this one stir,
let it come to a boil,
and don't stir it anymore.
Okay.
Add some oil.
1 tsp of oil.
This makes the congee silky smooth.
All right, now let it cook slowly on low heat.
The lowest heat.
Let it cook.
You make good congee on low heat, understand?
All right, so now we wait.
After it comes to a boil,
we’ll cover and let it cook on low.
Now my dad will share his secret
to cooking perfect congee in less time.
When I was young,
this is how my mom taught me to make congee.
Cook for 10 minutes, then whisk it.
Save on firewood, and save time!
It's the same now.
The whisk saves us time and gas.
Since I'll be using the whisk,
it'll be ready in about 25 minutes.
Without the whisk, you'd need to cook it for longer.
All right, so now we wait.
Cook gently on low heat.
Congee, or zuk in Cantonese,
is a super common Chinese comfort food,
because it originates from a time when people were poor
and made big pots of congee
to make their rice last longer.
However, congee has become
a dish enjoyed across all walks of life,
from emperors to everyday people.
It's also an ideal food for babies:
my mom started feeding us congee when we turned 1,
and it's certainly something
we enjoy feeding our kids too!
Congee is the perfect canvas for every ingredient,
from fresh veggies to savory meats.
The version we’re making today
emphasizes the natural flavor
and tender texture of the sliced fish.
Now after 25 minutes of cooking on low,
we’re ready to return to our congee.
All right, friends.
We've cooked the congee
for about 25 minutes.
Take off the lid.
We'll beat it with this whisk.
Whisking the congee will make the congee incredible.
Now, we’ll uncover and whisk our congee.
Use this whisk.
Whisk the congee.
Whisk the congee to make it beautiful and luscious.
How long do you whisk it for?
It doesn't take much time.
About 2 minutes.
As you whisk, monitor it to reach your desired thickness.
If it's too thin, then... too bad.
If it's too thick, then add water.
After whisking for 2 minutes,
we’ll check the consistency.
Looking at this, I think it's too thick.
This is too thick
because it will thicken more when we add fish.
To thin it, we'll add boiling water.
1/2 cup of boiling water.
My dad adds about half a cup of water to thin it out a bit.
This texture is much better.
"How do you prevent the congee from getting too watery
as you're eating it?"
Once you've cooked the congee, don't keep stirring it.
The more you mess with it, the more watery it gets.
If you're not eating it and you keep mixing it, it'll get watery.
This is good!
Now, we'll add the fish.
Then it'll be ready to eat!
Don't dump all the fish in at once.
Slowly.
Now we’ll slowly add the fish into the congee,
spreading it out in the pot.
Shirley from the Canto Cooking Club asked,
"Do you put the fish in as a last step
after the congee is fully cooked?"
Yes, it's best to add the fish after the congee is fully cooked.
Fish cooks through very quickly.
One quick stir and it's done.
If it sits too long, the fish will get too soft.
You might break it all down.
You could intentionally cook the fish down
and cook it longer until it disintegrates.
Separate the pieces.
Lower the heat.
On low heat, we’ll mix the fish around
so all the pieces are separate.
Nudge them apart, the fish cooks very quickly.
Add the slivers of ginger.
If you don't want to put ginger in, just omit it.
"How do you reduce fishiness?"
After slicing the fish,
add ginger and white pepper.
mix them in.
And when you make the congee,
add ginger and mix it in.
If you don't like ginger, use white pepper.
Are there especially fishy types of fish?
Yes, some fish are fishier than others.
Then, add salt to season.
1 tsp.
When seasoning,
I like to add fish sauce as well.
It tastes better with fish sauce than with soy sauce.
Fish sauce has a fresh taste.
1 tsp is enough, not too much.
Now, turn off the heat.
After adding seasoning,
we can turn off the heat and mix it in.
The fish is all cooked through.
The fish looks so nice!
And now’s the perfect time for a taste test.
Amazing, right?
The fish is silky and tender, right?
Now we can transfer the congee
to a large serving bowl like this
or into individual bowls directly.
Okay!
Add the chopped green onions and cilantro.
Finally, we’ll garnish with our green onions and cilantro
and serve to our family.
Did you eat this when you were kids?
When we were kids? Yes!
We ate fish and congee.
Daddy was the best at catching fish!
So good!
Good, right?
Isn't it great?
Our Fish Congee is complete!
I hope you all enjoy it!
Hong Doy, time to eat congee!
Cheers!
Cheers, Cam!
Cheers! Love you, Cam!
That's a wrap.
Yay!
Thank you! Thank you for watching congee!