silken congee

We think congee is magical because each grain of rice, suspended in an opaque pool of liq-uid, is like a velvety cloud that melts on the tongue While fantastic as an unadorned base,plain congee can be jazzed up with toppings from the very traditional (century eggs)to the stuff of our childhoods(crushed chicken crisps). Just avoid soy sauce as this will make the congee taste sour and go watery. You’ll need to soak the rice the night before for guaranteed fluffy grains.

Serves 4100 iasmin jasmine rice bone 200g pork bones or 150g lean pork in one piece tbsp vegetable oil 2 tsp salt optional toppings  ground white pepper sesame oil toasted sesame seeds sliced spring onions boiled eggs, diced century eggs, quartered into wedges Chinese fried breadsticks add an exotic(see here) 1 piece of kong yu chu (dried scallops)  ja choi (preserved mustard stems), as a topping 1 Put the rice into a large bowl with plenty of cold water. Wash the rice by swishing it with one hand, then drain away the cloudy water It may help to cup one hand under the stream of water to catch any escapees as you do this. Repeat until the water runs clear. Cover the rice with cold water and leave to soak overnight.

2 The next day, put the pork bones into large saucepan, pour in enough boiling water to coverand leave for 2 minutes. Drain and discard the water.

 3 Drain the soaked rice and add to the saucepan, together with the oil, salt and 1.5 litres water.

If using, tear the kong yu chu into small shreds and add to the saucepan. Bring to the boil then cover, reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes, or until each grain of rice has burst open.

4 Gently stir 200ml boiling water into the pan to loosen the texture of the rice so that each grain is suspended in its own pool of congee. Serve with your toppings of choice, including ja choi if using, scattered over the top.

qingquang

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