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Rice porridge congee
Serves 2-3 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 6 medium dried Chinese mushrooms
- 2tbsp Chinese pickled turnip, shredded (optional)
- 180g long-grain rice
- 3.5 litres vegetable stock or water
- thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
Toppings (optional)
- soy sauce
- salted peanuts, crushed
- spring onions, thinly sliced
- crispy deep-fried onion, sliced sesame seeds
- crispy fried tofu pieces
Method
Rinse the mushrooms under warm water and put into a large bowl of freshly boiled water. Soak for 15 minutes until soft, then gently squeeze the excess water out of the mushrooms. Remove and discard the stalks and cut the mushrooms into thin slices. If you are using pickled turnip, rinse it under cold water to remove some of the salt and then cut it into bite-sized pieces.
Wash the rice thoroughly and drain well. Put into a large saucepan, add the water or stock, ginger and pickled turnip (if using) and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer, add the mushrooms and cook for around 1 11⁄2 hours. If it looks like the rice is becoming too thick, you can add more water; the congee wants to be of pouring consistency similar to wallpaper paste.
Season to taste and serve with Chinese breadsticks (see recipe, below), a splash of soy sauce and sprinkled with a selection of your favourite toppings.
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