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Monday, December 03, 2012

Congee at Capital Seafood - Irvine Spectrum

Jook. Porridge. Arroz caldo. Congee. Gruel. It takes on many names. A roommate made it by accident once when he put too much water in the rice cooker and we made fun of him; but when it's intentional, has bits of meat, fine juilennes of ginger, a sprinkle of scallions and is served when dark clouds dump freezing rain on every inch of the landscape, it's the kind of food you want, crave, need.

And oh how I want this now, the big pot we ordered a few weeks ago during a Capital Seafood dim sum lunch at the Irvine Spectrum. I gulped down a bowl, felt the all-enveloping sensation of the starchy goop warm me for the inside out, and promptly spun the lazy Susan back around for a second helping and a third.

If there's a secret ingredient, it has to be that ginger. It transforms what's potentially bland and boring into a substance worthy of a better name than gruel.

Capital Seafood
85 Fortune Dr Ste 329
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 788-9218
http://www.capital-seafood.com

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6 comments:

  1. Jocelyn + Cathy3:31 PM

    Haha I totally agree, ginger is magic!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Madison10:08 PM

    I love congee with the 1000-year old egg and salted pork cubes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. elmomonster11:24 AM

    Jocelyn + Cathy,

    I'm realizing now how boring and sore-throated the world would be without ginger!

    Madison,

    Oh yeah! 1000-year-old egg! That's the stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  4. NP2:25 AM

    shredded pork in congee... mmmmm

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hungry Huy12:58 PM

    I'm completely fine having this without ginger. But it is good.

    Some kind of hot sauce is a must though.. that Sambal Oelek stuff to be exact.

    The hot sauce they have at Capital Seafood is kinda strange to me (for dim sum).

    ReplyDelete
  6. elmomonster1:00 PM

    NP,

    Ah yes! I forgot about that part. Shredded pork, a.k.a. pork sung, pork floss, etc. Love it too!

    Huy,

    Agreed: sambal oelek works better for this. The hot sauce at Capital Seafood adds too much oil, if I remember correctly.

    ReplyDelete