Guangdong's "Teochew casserole congee" has always been quite famous, Teochew casserole congee on the surface out of a big or small pot, but in essence, the details are very careful, equipment, method, ingredients, fire and so on.

Today, we asked Cai Shuhai, the founder of Shantou's Shikou Restaurant, a casserole congee store that has been in business for 17 years, to demystify the secret of making Teochew casserole congee.

There are two schools of congee in Chaoshan

In Chaoshan, all kinds of congee stores can be found everywhere, and congee is the staple food of the local people. There are two main types of congee in Chaoshan: white congee and fragrant congee, which is usually called casserole congee.

The difference between casserole congee and white congee is whether or not other ingredients are added, and whether or not they are flavored. Casserole congee shall be boiled with raw rice, pots scooped into the bone soup, but also add a variety of seasonings, supplemented with seafood, fresh seafood or game, boiled until the fire is enough to serve. At this time, the porridge surface slightly boiling, fragrant, fresh and rich, porridge and vegetables in one, without any pickles to accompany the meal.

Casserole congee ingredients are rich, varied varieties, the most representative is eel congee, raw fish congee, meat and crab congee, etc.; more homely spring vegetables congee, duck congee, etc.; high version of the top three abalone congee, lobster congee, blood eel congee.

Teochew casserole congee production secrets

1, the more beautiful casserole can not be selected

To simmer authentic Teochew congee, the choice of casserole is the first pass, Cai Shuhai taught a secret: the more beautiful casserole can not be selected!

The restaurant uses a rough, rustic clay casserole, which costs only six dollars each. The surface of this casserole is not glazed and has excellent air permeability.

Select the casserole to pay attention to three elements: first, to choose the internal smooth, rough appearance, the surface looks like there are many pinhole-shaped holes for the best; second, knock with your knuckles, the sound is loud and clear, indicating that the casserole is complete, no cracks in the interior; once again, the pot body color is darker, indicating that the firing of the "fire" enough, more durable. More durable.

There are four models of casseroles in the restaurant, the smallest for one person; the second for 2-3 people; the third for 4-5 people; and the largest for more than 6 people. The amount of accessories is conveniently increased or decreased depending on the number of people, and the selling price is calculated by the bit.

2, the selection of Northeast pearl rice, boiling water soaked until "half-cooked"

Tasteful restaurant selection of Northeast pearl rice, full grain, white color. Cai Shuhai said: "casserole congee on the rice flavor requirements are very high, ordinary rice cooked, on the table a little bit will become soft and loose, the inside of the rice aroma also 'leak', and boiled pearl rice on the table can still maintain a beautiful shape, will not be bursting into the rice flower, the entrance to the mouth to chew when the aroma is only emanated on the tongue, the taste is much better. tongue, the aftertaste is more sufficient."

▲Northeastern pearl rice

The Chaoshan casserole congee has two cooking methods: one is raw rice is cooked, it takes at least half an hour to cook through, obviously not suitable for restaurant operations; the second is first boiling water into the rice soaked for about half an hour, and then into the casserole to cook, this method can be used to shorten the cooking time to 20 minutes, the restaurant is used in the latter.

There are two things to keep in mind during this process: first, the rice should not be completely soaked through, with a white hard core in the middle of the grains; and second, you can't use steamed or boiled rice in order to make porridge faster, otherwise it won't be viscous, nor will it have a strong rice flavor.

▲Pre-soak in boiling water for about half an hour to shorten the porridge time.

3, to fishy and fresh two buckets of soup

Chaoshan casserole porridge is fresh and rich, one of the reasons is to add bone soup rather than water.

▲Bone broth

In Chaoshan, every congee restaurant always has a bucket of bone broth by the stove, while the restaurant has two buckets, one for bone broth and one for ginger and garlic water.

▲Ginger and garlic water

The soup used to be made from chicken bones, and after it was used once in the lunch market and then boiled again in the evening, the flavor became bland. Now Cai Shuhai changed to use the pig's skull, the cost is lower than half of the pig bone, the soup is thicker than the chicken bone soup white fresh flavor.

The first ginger and garlic as a small ingredient in the porridge into, but Cai Shuhai found that ginger is a waste of time, and many people do not like to eat, drink to the spit out, so he put the ginger and garlic into the water (the ratio of the two is about 1:3) boiled for about 1 hour, so that the ginger and garlic of the pungent flavor of the full analysis of the porridge into the porridge half a spoonful of the deodorization effect is even better.

Bone broth and onion-ginger water are simmered on the same day and used on the same day, and then poured out at night when the stalls are closed.