Healthy Asian Breakfast: Fish Congee Recipe

What is a typical healthy Asian meal plan?

Well, traditionally, when it comes to cooking and eating, Asians keep their meal simple, balanced and moderate. So the basic principle is to have simple ingredients, cooked vegetables and a little bit of everything else. Too much or too little of one thing is never a good thing and Asian meal plans are mostly gluten-free and dairy-free.

The emphasize is to use real natural ingredients to prep your meals. So I will share with you some of my favorite oriental dishes, which are simple and easy to prep and it is also roughly consumed in South-East Asia and East Asia.

I will post a recipe at a time, and today we’ll have the Asian breakfast: fish congee. Let’s have fun!

Fish Congee (2 Serves)

So what are the Chinese favorite breakfasts? We all know that rise is a major “ingredient” in the Asian diet. And let’s start with our fish congee recipe:

Ingredients:

150 g uncooked White Rice, washed and rinsed – 541.5 calories;
5 cups water;
113 g Cod/Seabass/Grouper Fish, thinly sliced – 104 calories; For vegetarians you may omit this.
1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce – 4.5 calories;
1/2 tsp Sesame Oil – 20 calories;
1/2 tbsp Fish Sauce (optional) – 3 calories; For vegetarians, omit this.
A pinch of salt.

Instructions:

Combine fish, soy sauce and sesame oil in a bowl.
Mix well and allow it to marinade for 20 minutes.
Grind the rice in a food processor. This will speed up the cooking process and produce soft and smooth congee.
In a large pot, combine rice and 5 cups of water. Bring it to a boil.
When the water comes to a boil, simmer on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. Stir frequently.
If congee gets too thick at any point, add in 1/2 cup of water to dilute it.
After 10 minutes or once congee is really soft, add in the marinated fish and salt.
Continue stirring until all the ingredients are mixed well.
Increase to high heat and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
Stir in the fish sauce.
Remove from heat and serve warm.

With these ingredients you will prepare 2 serving of 336.5 calories each.

You can top it up with spring onions, ginger slices, parsley and a few drops of sesame oil and soy sauce. If you like the heat of spicy, you may add a bit of white pepper powder.

This large bowl of fish congee is easy to digest and will provide you with enough energy to kickstart your day.

Yes, there are a lot of different opinions when it comes to white rice vs brown rice. Although white rice may not be as nutritional as the brown rice, there still is nutritional value in the white rice. So consuming white rice isn’t bad for you!

This is why Asians love to have a bowl of fish congee for breakfast, because it will keep you satisfied and it easier for your body to digest.

Do share your favorite Asian breakfast with me in the comment section below! Stay fit!