Sampan congee with fish, squid and peanuts
The old Hong Kong typhoon-shelter breakfast: sweet fish slices, tender squid and crunchy peanuts in silky congee, light enough for a warm morning.
- 40 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Medium
Why it suits you: Start of Summer brings the first real heat, and even a Balanced constitution should look after the heart and spleen. Sampan congee is a classic Hong Kong breakfast: sweet fish and squid, crunchy peanuts and plenty of fluid from the congee, satisfying without feeling heavy on a hot morning.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 30 min- 1Rinse the rice, toss it with a pinch of salt and the oil and leave for 15 minutes (or freeze it overnight for a quicker, silkier congee). Add to boiling water, boil hard for 10 minutes, then simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes until creamy.
- 2Clean the squid and cut it into rings; toss the fish slices with the cornflour and a little pepper.
- 3Season the congee with the salt, add the ginger and squid and simmer for 2 minutes, then slip in the fish slices one by one, turn off the heat and leave for 1 minute until just cooked.
- 4Line the bowls with the lettuce, ladle over the hot congee and top with the peanuts and spring onion.
Cautions
- Squid is fairly high in cholesterol, so cut back if yours is high; leave out the peanuts if you're allergic, and use fish only if seafood disagrees with you.
Chef's tips
- Add the fish last and let it cook in the residual heat so it stays silky; dry-toast the peanuts in a pan rather than deep-frying them.
The TCM view
Grass carp is sweet and warm, warming the stomach and settling the middle. Squid is sweet, salty and neutral, nourishing yin and blood. Peanuts are sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen and moistening the lungs. Rice is sweet and neutral, nourishing the stomach and generating fluids. Ginger removes fishiness and warms the stomach, while cool lettuce balances the fish's warmth. Moderate in nature — an everyday breakfast for a Balanced constitution.
