plain congee soup with accompaniments recipe

Plain Congee  soup With Accompaniments  

Preparation time   : 15 minutes

Total cooking time: 2 hours

Serves : 4

Ingredients :

For the plain congee recipe soup we need :

1 CUP [220 g/7 oz] short-grain rice, rinsed

   and drained

2.5 litres [80 fl oz] chicken stock or water

light soy sauce, to taste

roasted sesame oil, to taste

Toppings :

3 spring onions (scallions). chopped

4 tablespoons chopped coriander

[cilantro]

30 g [1 oz] sliced pickled ginger

4 tablespoons finely chopped preserved

turnip

4 tablespoons roasted peanuts

2 one-thousand-year-old eggs, cut into

slivers

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

2 fried dough sticks, diagonally sliced

1- Put the rice in a clay pot, casserole dish

or saucepan and stir in the stock or

water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the

heat and simmer very gently, stirring

occasionally, for 1 ¾ 2 hours, or until it

has a porridge-like texture and the rice is

breaking up.

2- Add a sprinkling of soy sauce, sesame

oil and white pepper to season the

congee. The congee can be served plain,

 or choose a selection from the toppings

listed and serve in bowls alongside the

congee for guests to help themselves.

NOTE: You'll need access to an Asian or

Chinese grocery store to acquire

preserved turnip, one-thousand-year-old

eggs and fried dough sticks; if you don't

have one nearby, choose some of the

more easily available toppings instead.