Cantonese Porridge

I couldn't remember exactly why - or when - we started eating porridge like this. Maybe my dad got tired of me picking stuff that I don't like out of my bowl, and relocating them into other people's porridge? Anyway, it was a stroke of genius, and this hands-on approach to cooking porridge made regular appearances at our table over the last couple of decades. 

A vat of plain porridge rests in the corner, and each batch of porridge is cooked to order. A saucepan set over a portable stove sits at the centre of the table. Surrounding the butane stove are an assortment of uncooked meat: prawns and salmon, fish paste and liver, and pork. A couple of porridge-filled ladles goes into the saucepan, and you can add anything into your personalised bowl of porridge. Stir 'til cooked, take it off the flame, crack an egg in and presto! A bowl of steaming porridge filled with as much meat and seafood as you wanted, and - also very importantly - nothing you didn't want. It's a little like a steamboat, where people gather over a hot stove and cook communally. 

But Calvin, you say, if we are cooking batches of porridge individually, could you really call it communal cooking? It's well-spotted, and I commend your reasoning ability. Now, as a reward, I would like it if you could close your browser, find another computer and then come back to this page. Preferably for more several times. 

Extraverts would love how lively the whole affair is, while neurotics (oh no, could that be you?) can lose themselves in the activities of tending to the porridge. It's actually quite similar to the style of cooking at 牛花粥 restaurant in Guangzhou. 

Communal-style Cantonese Porridge

Welcome to your new favourite way to eat porridge. OK, there isn't really a recipe for this, and you don't really need one. Plain porridge is cooked in a massive pot, while the other ingredients like prawn, minced/sliced pork and liver are marinated in soy sauce and tapioca starch. 

1. When ready to start, start cooking the pork first, which would take longer to cook than other ingredients. Then add in seafood and pork liver and continue stirring, scrapping the bottom of the pot as you go along. Add a little hot water if the porridge turns too thick. 

2. When the seafood is cooked, turn off the flame and break an egg into the porridge, Asian-porridge style. Mix well and add soy sauce and white pepper to taste. Top with sliced ginger and chopped spring onions. Serve immediately.