A hearty CONGEE / porridge

as promised...here's the recipe of cognee taught to me by my chinese friend whom was also a chef in one of the Hotel in KL ...(hint - near Sg.Wang so keep guessing!)

making this is actually easy its the 'accessories' are the less than easier. He told me that the key to making a good congee is to soak the rice over night. the longer the better he said...by soaking it the rice will absorb more water and making the rice when cooked be almost mushed which is the best texture for this porridge. although he also taught me some short cuts...hmmm~

anyway cooking the rice is easy just cook with lots of water and let it just cook in a med-low heat and remember to constantly stir the rice so that it won't burn...then flavoring it is another thing, although making it as simple as it possibly can, you can basically add what ever later on and it will contribute to the flavor of the congee. althought he does have one rule, is that if you wanted to add meat (any kind) you should first saute some ginger, garlic and shallots first then add the sauted ingredients into the congee then add in the meat and season as required.

i hope you get the basic idea on the how.

what you need:

1c rice soaked overnight
salt to taste
sugar to taste
spring onions for garnishing
lots of water

side dish:
salted egg
shredded poached chicken
light soy sauce
sesame oil
white pepper

i actually made beef balls and cook them with the congee making my congee taste delightfully beefy ^_^.


TIPS:

you can use leftover cooked rice to make congee too just recook them with lots of water and when you start to see that the rice swollen then take some of it and blend it away then put it back in the pot and continue to cook adding water and seasonings when necessary. you'll get the same result.