Malaysian Coconut Chicken Congee with Green Salad

Ready in 45 minutes • Serves 4
This dish most recently appeared in My Choice (3 Nights For 4) on Sunday, April 28, 2024.

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This warming and comforting dish is our take on a classic staple in Malaysian cuisine, also known as bubur ayam. Made by cooking rice in a fragrant turmeric and lemongrass-spiked chicken broth until it becomes thick and creamy. Finished with a vibrant and crunchy salad of lemon-marinated bok choy, mung bean sprouts and julienned carrots, it's the perfect meal as the evenings begin to get cooler.

Ingredients

Congee

600g free range chicken breast, cut into steaks
100g turmeric, lemongrass, ginger & makrut lime paste
3 cup chicken stock
3 cup boiling water
300g jasmine rice
1 tsp salt
200g coconut cream

Salad

1 twin pack baby bok choy, thinly sliced
1 lemon, juiced
100g mesclun
200g mung bean sprouts
200g julienned carrot
2 tsp fish sauce
1 pinch of chilli flakes, optional

Steps

Bring a kettle to the boil.
Pat chicken dry and cut into steaks by placing your hand flat on top of chicken and slicing through horizontally. Add chicken to a pot along with turmeric, lemongrass, ginger & makrut lime paste, stock and boiling water measure. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil on medium heat. Once boiling, turn off heat and leave, still covered, for about 15 minutes; the residual heat will cook chicken through (see tip). Once chicken is cooked, set aside to rest and save pot with poaching liquid for step 4.
Thinly slice bok choy. Juice lemon into a salad bowl, add all salad ingredients and toss. Season to taste with fish sauce.
Return pot with poaching liquid to high heat and bring to the boil. Once boiling, add rice and salt measure, then reduce heat to low-medium, cover and gently simmer for 15-18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender. Add a splash of water if congee becomes too dry.
Using two forks, roughly shred chicken (or thinly slice if preferred). Add to congee along with coconut cream and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, until warmed through and thickened. Season to taste with salt.
Spoon congee into bowls and serve salad on the side.

Nutritional Information

Energy	2721 kj 650 kcal
Protein	46.2g
Carbohydrate	72.5g
Fat	17.9g