Fried Porridge 炒粥 - MFF Kedah Perlis #2

This is a specialty found in Serdang, Kedah. The most popular shop that serves this is Sin Aik Kee.
Sounds weird? Not really.

I first got to know about this from a TV show, Taste with Jason (Axian) and I happened to see the last bit of the show... couldn't get much from it, but I knew this dish was really popular there. Then I found Axian's blog, but it no longer exists now. Before the blog was closed, I happened to see the picture of the raw ingredients used.

I know there is also fried porridge in Klang Selangor. But there are differences. The one in Kedah uses dried cuttlefish that has been fried. And that gives it that ummph!
I have never eaten any fried porridge before and how I replicated this was based on how I saw it being fried on TV and reading descriptions about it.

If you are trying to imagine how the taste is like... it's nothing too weird. It's just like fried noodles, and instead rice porridge is used in place of noodles. Meat, prawns, soy sauce, salted pork and chives, nothing out of the ordinary right? U just imagine a normal bowl of porridge with added smokiness and soy sauce. Just that!

 And how nice this is, also depends on your wok. The initial browning of fresh meat and prawns will add fragrance to the porridge, just like how a good plate of fried noodles is. No smoky wok, no wokky smell, hence, not nice. Make sure you wok is really hot when you start cooking it. And don't do it on a tiring day. The porridge is not easy to stir and stir and stir. Needs some arm work, LOL.

My hubby, Lydia and I whacked this big bowl of porridge clean.

Fried Porridge

Recipe by: WendyinKK
Original idea: Sin Aik Kee via Taste with Jason

25gm dried rolled cuttlefish/squid
½ cup peeled prawns
½ cup sliced pork
1 heaped cup of Chinese chives sections.
1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 cups water

Salted pork
150gm skinless pork belly
8gm salt

Boiled rice
1.5cups Siamese rice
1.5L water


Seasoning
2 Tbsp dark caramel sauce (as dark as u want)
2 Tbsp light soy sauce (use sufficient to season)
1 Tbsp fish sauce
½ Tbsp flounder seasoning (or use chicken stock or bilis stock powder, if using these, pls use less)
1/4 tsp white pepper (or as much as u like)

1. Prepare salted pork 2 days ahead. Marinate the pork with salt, cover and chill.
2. Wash rice and together with water, bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer for 20 minutes until rice is cooked through. Bring back to a rolling boil until the water turns murky and whitish. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit while you do the rest, the rice will expand.
3. Thinly slice salted pork belly. Place into the dry wok and cook on medium heat until oil starts to ooze out, turn heat to low and fry until no more bubbles are seen. Drain and dish up. (choose to keep or discard the lard)
4. Tear cuttlefish into small slices. In a clean wok, one medium low heat, put in 2 Tbsp of oil. Fry the cuttlefish until golden brown. Dish up and drain. Discard the oil and wash the wok. (If the cuttlefish isn’t pre sweetened, and the wok isn’t sticky, you can use back the oil.)
5. Bring everything near your cooking area. Heat wok until very hot. Put in oil and when it’s very hot, put in garlic, give it a quick stir and put in pork slices. Toss it around and when meat has turned opaque, put in prawns and stir fry until very fragrant.
6. Pour in all the rice + liquids. With the spatula, keep on scraping the sides and stir. Put in fried salted pork and keep on stirring. Add more water if needed. Put in fried dried squid.
7. Add in the seasonings and taste it, adjust it to be undersalted.
8. When the porridge has come to your preferred consistency, add in Chinese chive sections and give it a few more stirs and dish up.

*I saw small bottles of Flounder seasoning sold in Jusco, like those white pepper bottles. Mine is a big bottle given to me by fellow blogger HKChoo

I am submitting this to MFF Kedah Perlis Month hosted by WendyinKK of Table for 2...... or More