Fish Congee

My mother is here to stay with us since 2 weeks ago. I have been religiously cooking fish congee for her since then. She is suffering from a chronic knee osteoarthritis hence she has to move around in a wheelchair. My children have been helping me to take care of her. Praise the Lord; my children treat my mother with loving care. I am proud of them.

Thanks to my FIL who once told me that we must show respect to our parents or in-law even if our relationship with them has been strained. If in future we’re not in good terms with our parents or in-laws, we must leave our kids out of it. He said that our children learn how to treat others by watching their parents' behavior. Hence, seeing how parents interact with their own elders helps the children realize that even if they don’t always agree with their elders, they should still respect them because of their position in the family. He told us not to speak badly about any particular relative so that our children will not grow up to be negative and critical human beings, only noticing the bad in someone before noticing the good. That in case we have a grouch with someone, we should only discuss it with our spouse.

Nowadays, not every extended family lives within driving distance but they should connect on a regular basis through email or phone calls to strengthen relationships with grandparents. I want my children to have a positive relationship with their grandparents from a young age. So when my children receive something from their grandparents, such as a card or a gift, I would encourage them to call and say thank you.

I would never turn a blind eye whenever I noticed my kids showing disrespect to their grandparents. That is totally unacceptable and there is a high possibility that their disrespectful attitude will turn on me as I get older. Thus, don’t wait until the situation gets out of hand.

I want to help my children value the family they have as it is difficult to harmonize relationships between family members. Modern kids are so busy playing games that they have no time for their grandparents. 6 years ago, when my late FIL was still around, I sent my children to stay with my in-laws for 2 weeks during their school holiday when I went on office trip to Bali because I want them to spend quality time with their grandparents. I told them that  their grandparents love them and are happy to have them at any time and that they should behave themselves when they are with their grandparents as neither the grandparents, nor I, would tolerate any nonsense.  But at the same time, I also allow my parents and in-laws to spoil my children.

Fish Congee

Ingredients

1 cup rice - rinsed and drained

½ cup fresh Spanish mackerel

1-inch knob ginger - peeled and finely julienned

Soy sauce

Ground Pepper

Sesame oil

Salt / chicken stock granules - to taste

Spring onion – chopped

Instructions

In a large pot, rinse rice till water runs clear, about 3 to 4 times. Drain and set aside.

Add 7 cups water to the rice and set it on the stove to boil. When water comes to boil, remove lid and allow it to simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes. If porridge gets too thick at any point, stir in 1 cup water to dilute.

Rinse and pat dry fish with paper towels. Using a very sharp knife, thinly slice fish at an angle. Add the fish, ginger and salt / chicken stock granules to the porridge.

Stir to get everything well mixed. Allow it to cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Serve in individual bowls topped with spring onions. Drizzle with a few drops of sesame oil and soy sauce. Add a little more pepper if desired.