How to Cook Delicious Oyster Congee for Kids and Adults
The correct way to cook oyster congee to achieve a smooth texture. The oysters are tender, non-chewy, and non-fishy, ensuring a tasty dish suitable for both children and adults. Follow the detailed steps in the article below.
Ingredients
- 300g fresh oyster meat
- 220g broken rice flour
- 80g split green beans
- 2 shallots
- 30g green onions
- 1 bunch of Vietnamese coriander
- White wine
- Fish sauce
- Salt
- MSG
- Fried shallots (for serving)
- Crullers (for serving)
Ingredient Notes
If you are cooking oyster congee for adults, you can replace the broken rice flour with a mixture of white rice and glutinous rice in a 3:1 ratio for a moderately sticky texture.
Instructions
Prepare the Oysters
Place the oyster meat in a bowl, soak in water, then transfer to a sieve and rinse thoroughly to remove any dirt, sand, or shell fragments from the shucking process.
Return the oysters to the bowl, add a small amount of white wine, and soak for 10 minutes before rinsing again.
Alternatively, you can effectively remove the fishy smell by soaking the oyster meat in a mixture of salt and cornstarch or flour for about 5 minutes, then rinsing thoroughly. Once cleaned, drain the oysters in a sieve.
Since oysters are naturally salty, there is no need to marinate them with any additional seasoning; just ensure they are well-drained.
Prepare the Other Ingredients
Peel and finely chop the shallots.
Trim the roots off the green onions, wash them, finely chop the white parts along with the shallots, and slice the green parts thinly.
Do the same with the Vietnamese coriander: pick the leaves, wash them, and finely chop.
Rinse the split green beans and soak them in warm water for about 30 minutes, then cook them until soft, which takes about 30 minutes.
Cook the Oyster Congee with Green Beans
While waiting for the green beans to soften, stir-fry the oysters.
Heat 1-2 teaspoons of oil in a pan, sauté the chopped shallots until fragrant, then add the oysters. Season with 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and a pinch of MSG (if desired), and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes before transferring the oysters to a bowl.
Once the green beans are soft, add water to the pot, adjusting the amount based on the number of servings. Gradually stir in the broken rice flour, stirring clockwise to ensure the flour is well-incorporated and smooth, without clumping. Turn on the heat to medium-low and continue stirring to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
When the congee starts to simmer, season to taste. Continue to simmer on low heat until the rice flour becomes smooth and creamy, about 20-25 minutes. At this point, add the stir-fried oysters to the pot.
Final Product Requirements
Oyster congee with green beans is non-fishy, and instead, has the fragrance of fried shallots, green onions, Vietnamese coriander, and green beans.
The oyster meat is sweet, tender, and not dry.
Oyster congee should be eaten while hot. If feeding young children, you can blow on it to cool it down before feeding. If served cold, the oysters may become fishy, and the congee will not taste as good as when it is hot.
Oysters are highly nutritious. However, as oysters have a rich and fatty taste, they can quickly become overwhelming. Therefore, it's best to cook only a moderate amount.
Tips & Notes
You can buy fresh oyster meat at supermarkets where the supplier information and expiration date are clearly labeled, ensuring safe preparation. Alternatively, you can buy whole oysters, shuck them, and clean them as described.
If cooking for adults, you can marinate the cleaned oysters with a bit of pepper to help neutralize the fishy smell.
Green beans help to mask the fishy smell of the oysters and make the congee more fragrant, delicious, and nutritious. The green beans also add a cooling effect and prevent the dish from becoming too rich, balancing the richness of the oysters.
Additional Information
Oysters are a highly nutritious seafood, beneficial for health. They contain a high amount of vitamins A, B, C, E, iron, zinc, calcium, and more, which are especially good for children. According to nutrition experts, eating oysters helps provide energy, relieve fatigue, reduce inflammation, boost immunity, strengthen bones, improve vision, support better sleep, and is good for heart health. Therefore, mothers should consider incorporating oyster dishes into their children's meals to supplement their energy.
Some delicious oyster dishes that mothers can cook for their children include fried oysters with eggs, steamed oysters, oysters cooked in sour soup, or oyster congee. Among these, oyster congee is an easy-to-eat dish that helps children absorb nutrients the most efficiently. However, as oysters have a distinctive fishy taste, care must be taken during preparation to remove the fishy smell so that children can enjoy the dish.
