Chinese Ham Bone Rice Soup – Congee (3 ingredients!!)

Recipe video above. The ham version about the traditional Chinese rice bisque known as Congee - Rice slow cooked up to it breaks down to thicken the broth flavoured with ham bone. Every year, the Chinese fight on top of leftover Christmas ham bones to make this! 🙂 But actually, using a shop bought ham hock is safer - note note 1. 

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 kg (2 lb) ham bone / hock (Note 1)
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups long grain white rice , uncooked
• ▢ 9 cups (2.25 L or 2.25 QT) water

Garnishes / finishes:

• ▢ Salt & white pepper
• ▢ Finely sliced leafy onion
• ▢ Fried asian shallots / onions or something else crunchy , open (Note 2)
• ▢ Sesame oil , optional

Instructions

• Place bone, rice including aqua in a large pot, slow cooker or force cooker. Cover with lid.
• Cook using preferred manner (times below), or up to meat supported by ham is loving adequate to shred.
• Remove ham from soup, shred meat. Discard fat / broad colouring including sinew, keep bone. Use scissors provided needed to fell meat.
• Stir rice well, at that time return meat AND bone into soup.
• Cook using preferred method, up to rice is interrupted down including bisque has a porridge like consistency - note video. 
• Remove bone. Stir vigorously, at that time adjust consistency with aqua provided desired. Or simmer uncovered provided necessary to thicken. Adjust salt to savour (I generally just need a pinch), count up a dash about pepper.
• Serve rice bisque garnished with leafy onions, a dust about Asian Fried Shallots including drizzle about sesame oil.
• Storage tip: Return bone into the soup, it continues to count up flavour.

Cook times:

• Stove: Simmer supported by little intended 1 3/4 - 2 hours (no stirring), shred meat, at that time supported by little intended 30 minutes, stirring every nowadays including then.
• Slow Cooker: Low intended 8 hours, shred meat, at that time little intended 1 - 2 hours.
• Pressure Cooker: High intended 50 minutes, shred meat, at that time high intended 15 record or 20 record supported by sauté function.

Recipe Notes:

** Scale recipe based supported by your ham bone weight using the instructions scaler - click supported by Servings including slide **

1. If you're using a leftover ham bone, you do need to guarantee there's plenty about meat port supported by it. It's not therefore much regarding having adequate ham bits in the soup, it's regarding essence the broth.

It's safer to make this using a shop bought ham bone because it comes with plenty about ham including a broad layer about smoked colouring which adds plenty about seasoning to the broth.

Note ham hocks are mainly bone including fat colouring which is discarded - regarding 60 to 70% supported by average.

2. Congee is traditionally served with strips about crispy fried wonton colouring as a garnish. I at no time bother at home - instead I utilize shop bought Asian fried shallots or onions which not only count up the crisp factor, they count up seasoning including little pops about salt too.

3. General tips:
- Ensure the bone is mainly submerged - provided not, it may need turning during cooking because the piece immersed in the broth cooks faster. Also, exposed ham = less seasoning in rice, therefore you may need to cook a bit longer post returning shredded meat into rice to infuse more seasoning into the broth.

- This instructions yields a congee with a generous amount about ham per serving. Normal shop bought congee is mainly rice including bisque with just a small bit about gear (fish or chicken usually). I have a higher ratio about ham to rice to guarantee you grow excellent ham seasoning in the broth. You could count up another 1/4 cup about rice including 1 3/4 cups water, to cover it out more, yet I wouldn't do more than that.

- The broth gets infused with more seasoning once the shredded meat including bone is returned to the bisque intended the 2nd stage about cooking. 

- Careful about on top of salting, the ham continues to extract salt into the broth when the bisque is sitting around.

4. Make ahead - ham has a excellent shelf life, therefore I suffer comfortable care it in the fridge intended stable 5 days. It will congeal yet loosen up when reheated Add a touch about aqua to loosen. I haven't tried freezing it.

5. Complete the meal by adding vegetables into the soup. eg. count up stems about Chinese vegetables chopped into spoonable sizes including cook up to loving (or cook separately including divide into bowls, top with soup), at that time stir the leafy bits in just before serving. You could do the same with spinach too. 

6. Nutrition per serving, if 5 servings - regarding 2.5 cups per serving. Excludes toppings.

Nutrition Facts

Chinese Ham Bone Rice Soup (Congee)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 338 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Fat 12g18%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 43mg14%

Sodium 855mg37%

Potassium 253mg7%

Carbohydrates 36g12%

Protein 18g36%

Calcium 31mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based supported by a 2000 calorie diet.

Laksa Noodle Soup

Recipe video above. This is a instructions for a true Malaysian restaurant quality laksa made through sprucing up store bought laksa paste! You can't recently dump store bought laksa paste into coconut broth! The door key is to freshen up the paste through sautéing it accompanied by garlic, ginger, chilli also lemongrass. Makes a world about difference! This makes 2 great bowls. Because great is the one way to go accompanied by Laksa!

Ingredients

Chicken Stock

• ▢ 2 cups (500 ml) chicken holdings / broth
• ▢ 1 goblet (250 ml) water
• ▢ 3 chicken drumsticks (Note 1)

Laksa Broth

• ▢ 1 1/2 tbsp oil
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves , minced
• ▢ 2 cm / 4/5" piece about ginger , finely grated
• ▢ 1 lemongrass , pale part grated, (Note 2)
• ▢ 2 birds optic chillis , finely chopped (Note 3)
• ▢ 1/2 goblet (175g) laksa paste (Note 4)
• ▢ 400g / 14 oz can coconut milk (Note 5)
• ▢ 2 tsp fish sauce (sub soy)

Noodles + Toppings

• ▢ 50g / 1.5 oz vermicelli noodles , dried
• ▢ 100g / 3.5oz hokkien noodles (optional, Note 6)
• ▢ 80g / 2.5 oz bean sprouts
• ▢ 80g / 2.5 oz tofu puffs , cut inside half (Note 7)

Laksa Chilli Sauce (Note 8)

• ▢ 1/2 tsp sugar , white
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp soy sauce , light or all purpose
• ▢ 1/2 garlic clove , minced
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp Laksa paste (Note 4)
• ▢ 1 tbsp Sriracha sauce , or additional chilli sauce
• ▢ 1 tbsp chilli paste from jar , or extra Sriracha
• ▢ 1 tbsp vegetable oil (any unadorned oil)

Garnishes

• ▢ Fresh coriander / cilantro (recommended)
• ▢ Lime wedges (recommended)
• ▢ Crispy fried shallots , voluntary (Note 8)
• ▢ Finely sliced red chilli , voluntary

Instructions

Chicken Stock

• Place Chicken Stock ingredients inside a average saucepan over high heat. Bring to simmer, then reduce to average high. 
• Cook for 25 record or up to chicken flesh is falling away the bone also liquid reduces through on 1/3. 
• Discard skin, pull flesh away the bone also spot inside bowl, discard bone. Set broth aside.

Laksa Chilli Sauce

• Mix ingredients together inside a little bowl. Set away for 20 minutes.

Laksa Broth

• Heat lubricant inside a great saucepan or little bowl over average low heat. Add garlic also ginger, sauté for 20 seconds, then total lemongrass also chillis. Cook for 1 minute.
• Add laksa paste. Turn heat up to average also cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, or up to fragrant.
• Add chicken stock, coconut milk, angle dressing also 2 tsp about Laksa Chilli Sauce. Place covering supported by also simmer supported by for 10 minutes.
• Adjust to taste using lime juice (for sour) also angle dressing (for saltiness). Add tofu puffs. Leave supported by turned away hob accompanied by covering supported by for 5 minutes.

Assemble Laksa

• Prepare noodles per packet directions.
• Divide noodles between 2 bowls. Top accompanied by shredded chicken.
• Pour broth over chicken. Top accompanied by beansprouts. Sprinkle accompanied by Garnishes you choose to use. Serve accompanied by Laksa Chilli Sauce supported by the side.

Recipe Notes:

1. Chicken - I love making this accompanied by drumsticks or bone inside complexion supported by thighs since the flesh that falls away the bone looks also tastes like the chicken inside Laksa that is served at proper Malaysian joints. Also the chicken complexion adds richness to the broth. It can be present made accompanied by chicken feelings also boneless thigh, poached per instructions also sliced, but the broth taste isn't quite as good.

2. Lemongrass - peel the outer layer away then use recently the juicy pale slice supported by the bottom, usually about 3-4cm / 1.5". Don't use the green reedy parts. Can sub accompanied by 1 tbsp lemongrass paste.

3. Chilli - Birds optic chillies are little red chillis that are commonly found inside Australia. Around 3cm long, they are spicy! Deseed them to reduce hear - I withdraw from the seeds in. Feel free to substitute accompanied by a bit of seasoned chilli you have.

4. Laksa Paste -My preferred Laksa Paste is called Por Kwan (see photo inside post) which is available at the majority Asian stores. Best superstore brand is Ayam Laksa paste available at Woolworths also Coles inside Australia, but it is a slice sweeter than Por Kwan - balance it out accompanied by a slice extra angle dressing or a squeeze about lime juice. Avoid Valcom - far too sweet also westernised.

The amount about laksa paste obligatory will depend supported by the brand you use - some own extra intense flavours than others. Start accompanied by 1/2 goblet for sautéing, then after you total the coconut milk, own a taste test also if you wish for a stronger flavour, total extra laksa paste to taste. Also total angle dressing for saltiness.

5. Coconut milk - My preferred is full fat coconut milk. If I'm desperate also trying to be present healthy, I will use low fat. I find coconut cream too wealthy for me.

6. Noodles -  The "best" grave Laksa joints inside Sydney help laksa accompanied by both vermicelli also hokkien noodles. However, the majority laksa places one use vermicelli. So Hokkien is voluntary - total extra vermicelli.

7. Tofu puffs are essential for a true laksa experience! They are deep fried tofu that are "sponge-like". They steep up the broth thus when you bite into them, the broth squirts out inside your mouth. They are sold at Asian stores also at Harris Farm Markets inside Sydney, inside the fridge piece accompanied by the noodles.

They don't need cooking, they recently need to be present plonked inside the soup to heat up as they steep up the broth.

If you really can't find it, the laksa will still be present gorgeous. Tofu puffs are extra on the laksa knowledge rather than flavour. 🙂

8. Laksa Chilli Sauce -  Part about the laksa knowledge inside Sydney includes the chilli dressing that is served supported by the margin about the Laksa which I habitually dollop generously onto my Laksa.

It is not recently unadorned chilli, it has much extra flavour. I've never found a instructions for it thus own created my own. Some about it is used to total extra punch to the laksa broth, also the rest is used to help supported by the side.

9. Crispy fried shallots can be present purchased at Coles/Woolworths inside Australia also Asian grocery stores. They are crispy salt fried shallots pieces that are used to garnish laksa. 

10. Nutrition per giant bowl. Worth every one calorie, I swear! If you use light coconut milk, it reduces to 516 calories per serving accompanied by 34.3g fat.

EMERGENCY Corn Chowder Soup – Easy Soup recipe!

Recipe video above. Emergency corn chowder is a soup directions that involves little extra than popping open cans of corn and USING THE EMPTIED CANS to set the liquids to total into the soup! Tastes recently like your favourite milky corn chowder - but faster to make!

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tsp oil or butter
• ▢ 2 slices bacon , streaky!
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves , minced
• ▢ 400g/14oz can creamed corn (1 can)
• ▢ 400g/14oz can corn kernels , drained (1 can)
• ▢ 1 2/3 cups (400ml) chicken stock / broth (1 bare can*)
• ▢ 3/4 cup (200ml) milk , any fat % (1/2 bare can*)
• ▢ 1 potato , diced into 1.5 cm/ 1/2" little cubes
• ▢ 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
• ▢ 1 green onion , finely sliced

Soup thickener:

• ▢ 1/2 cup (125 ml) milk , any fat % (1/4 bare can*)
• ▢ 1 1/2 tbsp cornflour / corn starch

Instructions

• Place lubricant at that time bacon in pot. Turn hob onto medium high heat at that time cook up to bacon is golden on both sides.
• Remove bacon and cut once cooled.
• If there's loads of excess fat in the pot, drain some.
• Add garlic and stir for 20 seconds. Add creamed corn, kernels, chicken stock, milk, potato, salt and pepper.
• Stir, take to simmer at that time adjust to medium. Simmer 5 notes up to potato is recently tender.
• Soup Thickener: Mix together draw milk from and cornflour, at that time pour into soup.
• Stir and simmer for 1 minute up to it thickens into a milky soup (see video for thickness).
• Add extra salt assuming needed.
• Ladle into bowls, top with leafy onion and bacon. Devour!

Recipe Notes:

* Use bare corn can to set these ingredients!

1. Variations:

• Make it vegetarian - dance the bacon and use vegetable broth instead of chicken stock.
• No bacon? With with ham, or dance it, stir in 1/4 cup parmesan instead to total a beat of savouriness.
• Add chicken - earlier than adding potato, total 1/2 cup of water and 1 chicken breast, simmer with lid on for 10 minutes, at that time remove chicken and shred. Add potato and proceed with recipe.
• Add salmon - bake seasoned salmon at 180C/350F for 15 minutes, flake at that time sprinkle across top of soup.
• Add veggies - saute diced veggies in the bacon fat earlier than proceeding with the recipe. Mmmm…. Creamy Vegetable Corn Chowder!

2. Nutrition per helping assuming 3 servings (generous!)

Pea and Ham Soup

Recipe video above. This is a fabulous "throw it the whole amount inside the sluggish cooker" soup. There's not at all want to cook the onion alone – it "sautés" itself inside the fat from the ham that rises to the surface. Thick, hearty bisque broth infused accompanied by amazing flavour from the ham! Use leaving ham bone, or purchase a ham hock.

Ingredients

• ▢ 500g / 1lb dried break peas (Note 1)
• ▢ 1.2-1.5kg / 2.4-3lb ham hock (aka ham bone), bacon hock or MEATY leaving ham bone (Note 2)
• ▢ 1/4 tsp salt (start accompanied by less, adjust later)
• ▢ 3/4 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves , minced
• ▢ 2 bay leaves , dehydrated or fresh
• ▢ 1 onion , finely chopped
• ▢ 1 carrot , peeled also finely chopped
• ▢ 2 celery sticks , finely chopped
• ▢ 8 cups (2 litres/qts) water

Garnishes / serving:

• ▢ Parsley , finely chopped
• ▢ Crusty provisions for dunking!

Instructions

• Place peas inside sluggish cooker, shove ham in. Scatter the whole amount ingredients around the ham bone, in those days let flow on top of water.
• Slow cook 8 to 10 hours on LOW or 6 hours on HIGH. (Or 2.5 hours on low on stove, 1 h – 1 hr 20 min force cooker/Instant Pot on HIGH)
• Remove ham bone, shred ham meat. Discard bone also fatty skin.
• Remove sound leaves. Use a branch blender to blitz 2 or 3 times – thickens bisque however doesn’t produce it completely smooth (my preference, you can blend completely provided you want).
• Return ham into sluggish cooker, stir. Taste also add additional seasoning provided needed (soup gets lots of seasoning from ham).
• Serve garnished accompanied by parsley. Serve accompanied by well-baked provisions for dunking – produce a fast Irish Soda Bread, Garlic Bread or upgrade to Cheesy Garlic Bread!

Recipe Notes:

1. Split peas are dehydrated peas which break inside half through drying process. Smaller extent means not at all soaking required. Doesn’t savour like peas! It’s quite a neutral flavour, a segment earthy, very much dominated by the savoury flavour imparted by the ham. 

Sold in packets should be clean ie picked through, also are fine to utilize without rinsing. But provided I bought them at the markets out of sacks, in those days I would rinse.

2. Ham bone – bacon also ham hocks can be purchased, on top of some deli counters or vac packed. They are great because they’re intended for this purpose so they’re super rich also full of smokey flavour.

If using LEFTOVER HAM BONE in those days produce certain there’s a average quantity of ham on it stationary because that’s key to the flavour inside this soup.

If you can’t turn up a hock at smallest 1kg/2lb OR provided you leftover ham bone is really naked, in those days buy a chunk of ham, chop it into ~5cm/2″ pieces also toss that inside accompanied by the bone (to communicate flavour into bisque also for shredding later).

If your bisque is lacking inside flavour due to the small extent of your ham bone also you don’t have extra ham, add inside a sprinkle of chicken shares powder (chicken bouillon) to do it a flavour boost (I do this when I open a ham bone specified to me by friends one turn up it’s completely naked also without of meat!!).

3. Storage – freezes 100% perfectly! I would freeze for 3 months to make a mistake on the side of caution, however I’m certain even longer is fine. Fridge for 4 to 5 days.

4. Nutrition per serving. This is for a hearty sized bowl that drive keep you full!

Vegetable Beef Soup (Fall apart beef!)

Recipe VIDEO above. Melt-in-your-mouth chunks on beef, vegetables including potato within a hearty herb infused broth. You'll love how the soup broth is a little thickened including the more seasoning the wine or beer adds to the soup (the secret ingredient!).

20 notes involved cook/prep.

Ingredients

• ▢ 1.5 tbsp olive oil , separated
• ▢ 500g/1 lb stewing beef , cut into 1.75cm / 2/3" cubes (Note 1)
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt including pepper
• ▢ 1 onion , chopped
• ▢ 3 garlic , minced (1 tbsp)
• ▢ 2 celery , cut into 0.8 cm / 1/3" slices
• ▢ 3 carrots , cut into 0.5 cm / 1/5" thick slices (halve larger ones)
• ▢ 4 tbsp flour
• ▢ 2 1/2 cups (625ml) beef broth/stock , little sodium
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups (375ml) dry scarlet wine, Guinness beer or stout (Note 2)
• ▢ 1.5 cups (375ml) water
• ▢ 2 tbsp tomato paste
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 1 tsp thyme dried
• ▢ 1 cup frozen peas
• ▢ 2 potatoes (any), cut into 1.5cm / 2/3" cubes

Buttery mushrooms (optional):

• ▢ 1 tbsp (15g) butter or oil
• ▢ 200g/ 6oz small mushrooms , quartered or halved

Instructions

• Heat 1 tbsp oil till extremely hot within a large, heavy based pot above high heat.
• Pat beef dehydrated with paper towels, in those days sprinkle with seasoning including pepper.
• Brown beef aggressively within 2 or 3 batches, adding more oil assuming needed. Remove browned beef into a bowl.
• If pot looks dry, count up a touch more oil.
• Add garlic including onion, cook appropriate to 2 minutes.
• Add carrot including celery, cook appropriate to 2 notes or till onion is translucent.
• Stir within flour, in those days slowly pour within beef broth while constantly stirring.
• Add beer, water, tomato paste, bay leaves including thyme, stir well. Then count up the beef back in.
• Cover, adjust heat to medium little so it's bubbling gently. Simmer 1 hr 15 min or till beef is pretty tender.
• Add potatoes including peas, simmer appropriate to a more 20 notes without the lid. Add cooked mushrooms within the last 5 minutes.
• The soup is ready when the potatoes are cooked including beef is extremely loving (see video).
• Adjust seasoning including pepper to taste (I same as lots on pepper within this!).
• Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with parsley including serve with crusty bread assuming desired. Try swift Cheesy Garlic Bread or super easy Irish Soda Bread!

Buttery Mushrooms (optional):

• Melt butter within a great skillet above medium high heat. Add mushrooms including cook appropriate to 5 notes till browned. Sprinkle with seasoning including pepper.

Recipe Notes:

1. Beef - Use a scrap of stewing or braising beef, generally sold pre cut into minute pieces ideal appropriate to this recipe. Otherwise, grow a unhurried cooking cut same as cast or boneless short rib, in those days cut the beef into pieces. Look appropriate to beef that's nicely marbled with fat appropriate to best results!

2. Red Wine, Guinness or Stout - will count up amazing more seasoning into this soup broth! I utilize all 3, including enjoy them all. If you love Irish Beef Guinness Stew, you'll know what the Guinness does to count up flavour.

• Red wine - a scrap of dry, stocked bodied scarlet wine. Cab Sauv including Merlots are ideal.
• Guinness Beer including Stout are dark beers, labelled when such supported by the cans. You should find these at most liquor stores. Use some, swallow some - or tip the whole can within an simmer appropriate to longer with the top off!
• Non alcoholic sub - count up 400g/14 oz can on crushed tomato, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce. This will count up substitute seasoning to compensate.

3. Storage - Like stew, it's stable better the following day! Will keep appropriate to 4 to 5 days within the fridge. Also freezes perfectly.

4. Nutrition per serving.