Chaophraya is celebrating National Breakfast Week with the launch of a new breakfast menu.
The meal, which is said to be the most important meal of the day, has been given a Thai twist.
And bosses claim their breakfast is a little more exciting than a standard slice of toast.
The restaurant is also sharing its recipe to encourage keen cooks to get into their own kitchen.
Congee, Thai rice soup.
Serves 2 people
Ingredients:
120g jasmine rice
1 clove of garlic
100g minced pork belly*
1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
Pinch of salt
Dash of rapeseed or vegetable oil
2 spring onions
1 inch of fresh ginger
10g dried fried onions
10g fresh coriander
1 fresh red chilli
*If you can’t find minced pork, here’s how you can make your own. Trim the top layer of fat and skin from fresh pork belly. Using a good heavy knife, slice the meat in to small chunks then repeatedly chop in a similar way to cutting fresh herbs by rocking the knife back and forth over the meat.
Directions:
1. Thoroughly wash and drain the rice before cooking.
2. Using a heavy bottomed pot on a medium heat, put in the washed rice and one litre of cold water (Make sure to use a pot that will comfortably allow you to stir without risk of spilling). Bring the water to the boil then turn down the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan and leave to cook for 5 minutes. Give the rice a stir to avoid the rice sticking to the pan.
3. Leave for a further 5 minutes before stirring and recovering. If at any stage the rice appears to be drying out, just add some cold water and reduce the heat slightly.
4. Repeat this process until the grains of the rice have broken down and the texture of the soup begins to look smooth and silky. This should take about 25-35 minutes.
5. Whilst the rice soup is cooking, it’s time to marinade the pork.
6. In a bowl, combine the minced pork, chicken bouillon powder, salt, sugar, light soy sauce and oil. Cover the mixture and put to one side.
Once you’ve marinated the pork, start preparing the toppings!
1. Slice the garlic in to very thin slices.
2. Add the garlic into a cold frying pan with 4 or 5 tbsp of oil.
3. Raise the heat of the pan slowly to prevent burning and cook the garlic until the oil stops bubbling and starts to turn golden brown.
4. As soon as the garlic changes colour, remove it from the oil and place on to paper towel to drain.
5. Chop the spring onions and pick the leaves from the coriander stalks.
6. Peel and slice the fresh ginger in to matchsticks.
7. Once the rice soup is ready, add the marinaded pork and continue to simmer with the lid off.
8. Make sure to break down any lumps of meats so it all cooks evenly.
9. When the pork is cooked, check the flavour and seasoning of the soup – adjust to suit your taste using the ingredients from the pork marinade.
To serve, ladle the soup in to a large bowl, then top with the spring onions, crispy garlic, dried onions, coriander and thinly sliced chilli.
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