Chinese congee
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook: -
- Easy
- Serves 4
Ingredients
- 150g uncooked short-grain or Thai fragrant rice
Garnishes
- chilli oil or toasted sesame oil
- white pepper
- crispy fried shallots
- fried or salt roasted peanuts
- spring onions thinly sliced
- coriander finely chopped
- pickled mustard greens
Method
- STEP 1
Put the rice in a sieve and rinse it thoroughly under running water until the water runs clear, then drain well. If using frozen rice (see intro), skip this step.
- STEP 2
Put the rice and 1.4 litres of water in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Bring it to a full boil over a high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook on a low heat, stirring to the bottom occasionally with a wooden spatula or spoon. After a while, the rice will blossom and break apart.
- STEP 3
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the congee is thickened to your liking and satin-like in consistency. This will take 1 hr to 1hr 10 mins if you’re using uncooked rice, or about 15 mins for frozen rice. At any point, pour in more water if you want a thinner congee. Remove from the heat, ladle into bowls and serve with your choice of garnishes.
