Congee

 I have seen congee on cruises and then more recently while in Australia and New Zealand. I tried it and am hooked! So I made a batch last week and now its a staple in my breakfast meal rotation.

Congee is a rice porridge originating probably in China. It is either plain or made with chicken stock. I made mine with chicken bone broth and chicken stock. What makes it so good (in my opinion) are the toppings you add to it. 

Here's how to make it:

Heat 8 cups of water or combination of water and stock to boiling. Add 1 cup any type of rice except basmati and stir. Reduce heat and partially cover. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking for about 45 minutes or until rice is soft and well incorporated into liquid. Add more liquid if too thick, or cook longer if too runny. It should be the consistency of oatmeal.

While cooking, prepare toppings-

    Finely sliced spring onions

    Chopped cilantro

    Hard boil eggs

    Crispy fried shallots - thinly slice shallots and fry til crispy in peanut or vegetable oil.

    Soy sauce

    Sesame oil

    Siracha or chili oil 

    Finely chopped peanuts

    Sesame seeds

Serve the congee with as many or few of the toppings as you like. For me, the more, the better. Its a warm, savory, filling way to start your day - especially a cold winter day with quilting on the agenda.