Rice Congee

Photo: flickr user avlxyz

Ingredients

110 grams Chinese sausages (or any flavouring of your choice such as Sichuan preserved

700 mls water

Enough shortgrain rice to fill a glass measuring jug to the 150ml level unwashed

teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons spring onions finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh coriander finely chopped

Preparation

Cut the Chinese sausages or whatever flavouring you are using into fine dice and set aside.

Bring the water to the boil in a large pot and add the rice and salt.

Let the mixture come back to the boil and give it several good stirs.

Then turn the heat down to low and cover the pot.

Let the mixture simmer for about 35 minutes stirring occasionally.

Then add the Chinese sausages or your chosen flavouring and simmer for a further 5 minutes with the pot uncovered.

Just before serving add the spring onions and fresh coriander.

Serve it at once.

If you like congee can be made in advance.

In this case re heat it slowly and add some more water if the porridge is too thick.

Rice congee is what many Chinese eat for breakfast; it is simply a boiled rice porridge. In various areas of China fried dough bread fermented beancurd pickles preserved salt or spicy mustard greens may be added to the congee. In the south meat chicken roast duck peanuts or fermented eggs are added. Interestingly enough the word congee is a Hindi word and this perhaps indicates the origin of the dish.

The technique used in making congee is to boil the rice and then simmer it slowly. The starch is released gradually thickening the porridge without the rice grains disintegrating. I find shortgrain rice best for making congee but you can use longgrain. In this recipe the rice needs no washing as all the starch is needed to thicken the porridge.

Serves 4