Carrot & Tomato Porridge 红萝卜,番茄,干贝干耗粥

I have been cooking quite abit of congee recently. We just wanted something easy to cook and easy on the tummies. No fuss. And congee was the easiest of all.

I made some carrot & tomato porridge this time. I still remember how I always fight for some of the carrot tomato porridge my mum used to cook for my little brother then. It was really yummy. And healthy!

Like always I used the simplest ingredients I could get out of my fridge. I never like stuffing my fridge with lots of ingredients because I do not cook daily and by keeping too much meat and vegetables in the fridge, I am not getting the freshest deal when I finally get to cook them. I tend to plan my dishes to cook for weekend and then go marketing on the weekend morning after our breakfast.

So here I present you my babyish like porridge.

Carrot & Tomato Porridge
Serves 2 to 3

2 tomatoes, washed and remove the top stalk portion

1 medium sized carrot, deskinned and shredded

2 dried oysters, washed and rinsed

Dried scallops (I used 4 pcs of big dried Hokkaido scallops and a handful of small dried scallops since I had them) - I love lots of scallops in my porridge

Half a bowl of peanuts (Soaked and remove skins, rinsed, drained)

4 tbsp of minced pork meat, seasoned with 1 tbsp light soy sauce, a dash of pepper, half tsp of cornflour and 1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 rice cup of rice

Water (I did not measure exactly the amount of water but I just filled my 5-litre thermal pot to almost half filled and I used about 2 rice cup of water since I am adding 2 tomatoes and they produce water when cooked and softened)

To taste, optional

A dash of pepper

Light soy sauce, if preferred

1. I soaked the rice and washed dried scallops in water overnight on my stove top, covered. Kept the rest of the ingredients in the fridge. 

2. When ready to cook the porridge that morning, bring out deshelled peanuts, rinsed dried oysters, shredded carrot and tomatoes and add into thermal pot. Add about 1 tsp of cooking oil and 1 tsp of salt into thermal cooker. Stir to mix well the oil and salt with the rice and ingredients. Turn on fire to high and let it come to boil.

3. When the rice mixture comes to a boil, I placed a wooden chopstick at side of pot so that my thermal pot lid can rest on the wooden chopstick, allowing an opening enough for porridge to boil and yet not foam and overflow. Turn down heat to medium high for further 20 to 30min, if you have more time on hand.

4. Remove wooden chopstick and cover pot lid well, turn off heat and put thermal pot into thermal pot holder. It will keep cooking while inside the holder and be kept warm.

5. When back home after work at about 6.30pm, bring thermal pot of porridge to boil on high heat, mash softened tomatoes with the back of the ladles and stir to mix it into the congee. If too sticky, add some boiling water.

6. Form small minced pork meat balls with a teaspoon and drop them gently into the boiling porridge. Let it cook till done.

7. Do a taste test for the porridge, add salt to taste. Serve immediately.