Congee

K made this Basic Congee Recipe from About.com: Chinese Food yesterday, when we decided to make some extra rice in case of a power outage. I forgot how much I love this simple dish. It was the only food I could stomach when I was sick, so my mom used to prepare it for me then. I had no idea that it's a breakfast food in China growing up. Either way, it's a one bowl meal that we can eat at any hour. It's especially good with cilantro, scallions, sesame oil, chile oil with fried garlic, and dried seaweed. 

Basic Congee Recipe

Serves: 6 to 8

3/4 cup long grain rice (uncooked)

9 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1) In a large pot, bring the water and rice to a boil.

2) When the rice is boiling, turn the heat down to medium low.

3) Place the lid on the pot, tilting it to allow steam to escape (the same as you would do when making cooked rice.

4) Cook on medium low to low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice has the thick, creamy texture of porridge (1 - 1 1/4 hours).

5) Add the salt, taste and add seasonings if desired.

6) Serve with garnishes such as crushed peanuts if desired. We prefer to add cilantro, scallions, sesame oil, chile oil with fried garlic, and dried seaweed.