Congee for Breakfast

It’s hard to believe, but despite having lived in Singapore for nearly three years I have never eaten Congee… until now.

Determined that my first bowl of congee was going to be a memorable one, I conducted a lot of research before venturing out on my porridge quest, and Zhen Zhen Porridge at Maxwell Road Food Centre continually came out on top of ratings. The Makansutra Guide gives it 6 chopsticks, putting it in the highest ‘Die Die Must Try!’ category, and it also gets the thumbs up from many of my fellow local food bloggers.



Even so, I wasn’t quite prepared for the length of queue this stall commanded. Undeterred, I stood patiently in line, convincing myself that if all these other people were queuing, well – it had to be worth the wait.



Forty minutes later (yes, 40 … 4-0 minutes later) I finally reached the front, where I realised I had absolutely no idea what to order, and all the signage was in Chinese.



I smiled and held up one finger “One bowl, please.”
The auntie on the stall refused to return my smile, barking instead “Fish?”
“OK,” I replied, unsure of what my other options were.
She plucked an egg from a large bowlful beside her “You want?”
“OK!” and I joined the others to the left of the counter to await my bowl, observing how they seasoned their porridge when it arrived, so that when my turn came I would look like a seasoned (excused the pun) pro.



I returned to the table delighted with myself, and trying to ignore the fact that the egg the auntie and held up to me had just been cracked raw into the side of my porridge - I had had romantic notions of it having been stirred through in a carbonara-esque type of way. Nevertheless I tucked in (I’d like to say enthusiastically, but perhaps a more suitable adverb would be cautiously), Mr Greedy Glutton watching my every move (he knew he was next).



Obviously I have nothing to compare it to, but Zhen Zhen is famous for its super-smooth porridge – they cook and churn the porridge until all the rice grains have disappeared. It is then sprinkled with spring onions, chai poh (preserved radish) and fried shallots, which, together with the fish, give some welcome flavour to an otherwise bland dish. I did kind of regret not ordering a side order of yu sheng (raw fish) plate to accompany it, as I’m sure this also would have provided some form of flavour injection.



I have to confess I didn’t eat a huge amount of my porridge – Mr Greedy Glutton’s Chicken Rice from Tian Tian Chicken Rice looked far more appealing. But I’m pleased that I tried it and I now know if I am stranded at breakfast time in some remote corner of Asia - I will survive.