Patin Fish Porridge

Patin Fish Porridge also known as 巴丁魚片粥 is a quite staple dish in my household. I usually cook this either as breakfast (especially tucked at home on a cosy and rainy morning) or whenever I’m having digestion problems. As a fibromyalgia patient, recurring digestion problems are common therefore it’s always handy when I already have a recipe or two that will ease my tummy woes (like this one)! This recipe needs less than 30 minutes to prepare and will surely provide the energy you need to start the day!

Why is this Patin Fish Porridge the best recipe ever

Healthy: Patin fish, also known as Catfish, is highly nutritious. According to Healthline, every 100 grams the fish provides:

Fat: 2.9 grams
Protein: 18 grams
Sodium: 50 mg
Vitamin B12: 121% of the Daily Value (DV)
Selenium: 26% of the DV
Phosphorus: 24% of the DV
Thiamine: 15% of the DV
Potassium: 19% of the DV
Cholesterol: 24% of the DV
Omega-3 fatty acids: 237 mg
Omega-6 fatty acids: 337 mg

In addition to that, ginger provides anti-inflammatory properties. And if you’re having stomach problems, porridge eases digestion.

Budget-friendly: These ingredients are easily available and very affordable!

Calorie-conscious: This recipe is only 262 calories per serving.

Customizable: Have fun and swap with different kinds of fish, seafood or even vegetarian version. Sometimes I add extra prawns that I have in the fridge (as shown below).

Shopping List

Marinade

100 grams Patin fish slices
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒)
1 tbsp light soy sauce (生抽)
0.5 tbsp sesame oil
1 pinch of white pepper

For porridge

0.5 cup Jasmine rice
3.5 cups water
1-inch knob ginger (smashed)
0.5 tbsp fish sauce (may reduce or omit if it’s too strong for your taste)

Garnishing

0.5 tbsp ginger (Julienne strips)
1 tbsp vegetable oil (or any neutral flavour oil)
1 strip of scallions (finely chopped)
You Tiao / Chinese fried dough

Preparing this Patin Fish Porridge

Marinate Patin Fish Slices

Rinse and pat slices of fish dry.
Combine all the ingredients in the ‘Marinade’ section into a bowl.
Put in fish slices and mix well with the marinade.
Marinate for an hour.

Prepping Garnishing

Heat up a pan or wok on medium heat.
Add vegetable oil. Once you see swirls in the oil, it means it’s hot enough!
Add in Julienne ginger strips and fry until they’re lightly browned and stiff like matchsticks.
When done, remove from heat and put aside for later use.
Cut a strip of scallion into small pieces and put them aside.
This is optional, but you can purchase You Tiao / Chinese fried dough to serve with the porridge!

Prepping Porridge

Rinse the rice 2 to 3 times, until water runs clear.
Put rice, water, and smashed ginger in a large pot. Cover the pot with a lid and set it on the stove to boil (high heat).
When it starts boiling, remove the lid.
And then let it simmer on medium heat for about 15 – 20 minutes (depending on the porridge texture of your preference). Stir the porridge from time to time, to avoid burnt porridge at the bottom.
When your porridge reaches desired texture, add in the marinated fish slices. Stir the fish slices well in the porridge to make they’re not clumped together.
Add in fish sauce. Ignore this step if you chose to omit fish sauce!
Close the lid and turn on high heat. When the porridge starts boiling, turn off the stove.
Top with garnishing (prepared above) and you’re ready to feast!

Useful Tips

If you are using frozen Patin fish slices, thaw them before marinating. To thaw, place the frozen fish slices down in the lower fridge section for about 8-10 hours.
To quickly thaw the fish slices last minute, simply dunk them under a tap of running water for about 15 minutes. Though effective, I don’t really recommend this method as it causes water wastage.
You can omit the Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒) for a non-alcohol version, though it might make the porridge less ‘fragrant’. You can opt to add more soy sauce or fish sauce for added flavour.

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