Rice grain is boiled in water until soft and fish slices are added and served with toppings like ginger, scallion, cilantro leaves, etc. It's a comfort food by many in Asia. Instant pot method included.
Thinly slice the fish at an angle with a very sharp knife to about 1/4-inch thickness and large pieces. Toss them in cornstarch and soy sauce mixture. Set aside
Cooking the congee:
It is not necessary to rinse the rice unless it says so on the package. Place chicken broth in a medium-large pot. Bring it to a boil, add the rice and the better than bouillon (if using) and then lower the heat and cook over medium heat for about 30-40 minutes, stirring every now and then until the rice has thickened to the consistency you want. Add a bit more broth if you find it too thick
Add fish slices and cook until the fish turns into opaque white color and fully cooked, about 1-2 minutes.Turn off heat. Proceed to serving
Instant pot - Pressure cooker setting:
Place rice and broth in the insert of instant pot. Press pressure cook and set to high pressure. Set timer to 15 minutes. When the timer is up, wait 10 minutes and then release pressure and wait until the pressure valve to come down and then open the lid
Switch to a "saute" mode and let it come to a boil. Stir the porridge and make sure the bottom of the pot to make sure nothing catches and burns the porridge. Add fish slices and gently stir and cook until fish slices are cooked through. This way, we do not overcook the fish slices
Instant pot - Porridge setting:
Place rice and broth in the insert of instant pot. Press "porridge" setting and it will automatically set its own pressure level and time. When it's done cooking, do natural release (let the pressure valve comes down on its own) or it will be a big mess when you release the pressure
Switch to a "saute" mode and let it come to a boil. Stir the porridge and make sure the bottom of the pot to make sure nothing catches and burns the porridge. Add fish slices and gently stir and cook until fish slices are cooked through. This way, we do not overcook the fish slices
Serving:
Portion into a bowl and garnish with green onion, cilantro leaves, couple drops of sesame oil, pinch of white pepper powder and some ginger. The porridge will get thicker the longer it sits. You can always thin it out with some water or broth