Shrimps Chicken Multigrain Congee Porridge

A few days away from daylight savings when we turn our clock back an hour. The days are getting shorter and temperatures are down to sweater weather.

A warm wholesome bowl of multigrain congee (this Rice Cooker /Multicooker will be useful) is a welcoming meal as we embrace autumn and winter. Call this Surf and Turf as shrimps (prawns) and ground  meat (pork, chicken) are added to the otherwise plain bowl of congee made from brown rice, millet, quinoa.


You will not get such wholesome congee in any eateries/restaurants as it is a huge investment of ingredients and time.


So many ingredients that this post had to be drafted immediately after the dish was cooked else with days lingering on, the ingredients going into this tasty congee would have been forgotten.

Dried anchovies (ikan bilis), dried baby shrimps, dried krill, onions, garlic, ginger, red dates, carrots, green beans, corn, woodear and shitake mushrooms, ground organic chicken and pork, fresh shrimps (prawns), nori seaweed, green onions, cilantro. Am I over-doing this? Not so when it's going to be a one-dish meal.

Shrimp Chicken Multigrain Porridge Congee
Roast 1tbsp thinly minced onions, 10 green beans diced, 1 small organic carrot diced and 2 shitake mushrooms thinly sliced (seasoned with 1/2 tsp soy sauce, dash of ground white pepper and olive oil) in the oven for about 20 minutes (Note: This step saves some time while the congee cooks over the stove-top. Roasting also intensifies the flavors so that the congee will be tasty when roasted diced veggies are added later. Note1: You can also opt to saute and aromatize the mixture in the pot before cooking the congee).

At the same time, toast 1/3 tbsp dried anchovies (ikan bilis), 1/3 tbsp dried baby shrimps, 1/3tbsp dried krill in a deep soup pot for about 3 minutes. Set aside. Brown the ground meat in the same pot, breaking up the big lump of ground meat to smaller pieces. When browned, set aside. Add the rinsed grains of brown rice, millet, quinoa into the pot, then add garlic, ginger, red dates, then add sufficient water to start cooking the congee. When the congee start to boil, add in toasted anchovies (ikan bilis, baby shrimps) and continue boiling the congee for about 20 minutes till the grains are cooked, then turn down heat and allow it to simmer.

At this time, the roasted veggies are also ready. Remove the roasted veggies from the oven and add them to the congee, stir gently. Add in diced fresh shrimps, already browned ground meat, and thinly sliced woodear mushrooms and allow the entire mixture to simmer under low-medium heat. Adjust the amount of water required for the congee (more water if you prefer thinner congee consistency). After simmering for about 5 minutes, add in corn and nori seaweed, and continue to stir gently. Green onions and cilantro to garnish.