Congee

After a week of spicy rich foods, it is time for something mild. Congee is light, comforting, tasty in a good-for-you way, and a doddle to make. Perfect for breakfast or supper, but we often eat it for dinner too.

Pork and Scallop Congee

Dried scallops (2-3 per person)
Finely sliced pork.
Rice
Stock
Water

1. Soak dried scallops in water for 1.5 hours. Tear it little strips. Do not discard the golden liquor from the soaking.
2. Put rice, dried scallops, scallop liquor, stock and water in the pot. The amount of liquid should be about 3 times the volume of solids. Bring to boil and let it simmer at fairly low heat for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally in case the rice sticks to the bottom of the pot. The water will evaporate, add more water until desired consistency is achieved. I like my congee with the rice completely broken up and very soft, so it may take up to 2 hours. Some people like to add a few drops of oil to make a smoother porridge, but I don't find it necessary, patience will eventually wear down the rice grains.
3. Marinate the pork in a little salt, pepper and sesame oil. Add the pork in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Adjust seasoning and bring to the boil before serving.

I like to sprinkle some fried shallots on top before eating. Otherwise, finely chopped scallions, shredded ginger or even roasted peanuts would do well as toppings. Or fresh yu char kway if available.

This recipe is very versatile. The pork can be susbstituted with chicken or fish. Other optional extras that can go into the pot include shitake mushrooms, boiled peanuts, cubed tofu, century eggs, salted duck eggs, not all at once though, if we want to keep things simple.