Seaweed & Ginger Congee With Spicy Shrimp

From Bryan Rosendale

Bryan had never made a congee before, but he was eager to try. “It’s a unique soup,” he said, “And living in Chinatown, it’s easy to come by the ingredients.” The traditional breakfast soup of Southeast Asia, congee is essentially a simple rice porridge that can be dressed up to suit all tastes. Bryan started with a vegan base, and then offered both spicy shrimp and spicy tofu as possible toppings, along with Korean red pepper oil and aged soy sauce, for adventurous palates. The visual effect of the finished bowl, with its mound of shrimp or tofu poking out from the sea of rice, is meant to evoke the earth forming out of the ocean. Sheer soup poetry.

Ingredients
13 cups water
1 1/2 cups Jasmine rice
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 ounce dried seaweed
1/4 cup green onions
2 tablespoon vegan dashi
2 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoon sliced scallions (green portion only)
Korean red pepper oil (recipe below)
2 tablespoons aged soy sauce

Shrimp & marinade
8 ounces bay shrimp (cooked)
2 tablespoons korean red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups aged soy sauce

Preparation
Start by rinsing rice in a bowl, removing and replacing water until it runs clear.

Add rice to 12 cups of the water and heat on high until boiling. Once boiling turn down to a simmer (medium low). Cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 50 minutes.

Rehydrate your seaweed in a bowl of lukewarm water for approximately 1 minute.
Strain the seaweed and squeeze to remove as much excess water as possible. Chop
into small (approximately 1-inch) pieces and set aside.

Water will become opaque and begin to thicken. Rice will maintain shape but become
porous and spongy. At this point you will need to add your seaweed to the congee.

Next, dissolve dashi into the remaining cup of water and poor it into the mixture. Stir congee, ensuring it does not become too thick. If the congee clumps rather than flowing easily from a spoon, add additional water and stir. Cook the mixture for an additional 5 minutes or until it reaches a smooth slurry.

You may add the marinated shrimp just before removing from heat. Ensure that you do
not add the shrimp until you are ready to remove from heat and serve. (Raw shrimp
may also be used for this recipe. If so ensure that the raw shrimp are cooked in the
congee for approximately 3 minutes prior to removing from heat.)

Garnish with unused Korean red pepper oil and aged soy sauce.

Shrimp Marinade
Heat 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Add Korean red pepper flakes and move around through the oil until the oil is absorbed. Move around the pan for approximately 2
minutes once the oil has been absorbed. Turn heat to medium-low and add remaining 2
tablespoons of sesame oil and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Heat, stirring well, for approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool prior to using.

Once red pepper oil mixture has cooled reserve half and mix the remainder with 2 cups
of aged soy sauce. Place shrimp and red pepper oil/aged soy sauce mixture in a
sealable bag and move around until shrimp are evenly coated. Let marinate for a
minimum of 20 minutes.