Congee is an easy and comforting food to have for breakfast.
It is a classic dish hailing from China and still enjoyed by many.
The chicken, rice, and shiitake mushroom can give both new mothers, or expectant mothers, the necessary nutrition they needed to kick start their day!
So why not try this quick recipe?
Ingredients:
For the rice
- 200 g raw rice, medium or short grain, about 1 cup, see note 1
- 1200 ml boiling water, about 5 cups
- 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated & thinly sliced
- ½ tsp salt
For the chicken
- 1 piece chicken breast, cut into narrow strips/thin slices, about 150g/5.3oz
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- ½ tsp Shaoxing rice wine
- ½ tsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 pinch ground white pepper
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch sugar
Garnish
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 2 stalks scallions, finely chopped
- 2 boiled eggs, optional
- 4 tbsp toasted peanuts, crushed
Instructions:
1. Freeze the rice
- The night before you cook the congee, rinse the rice under running water. Drain then put into a container/plastic bag. Freeze overnight.
- Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in water overnight.
2. Cook the rice
- Pour boiling water into a pot. Put in the frozen rice. Add salt, mushroom and the water in which the mushrooms were soaked (it’s full of umami flavour).
- Once it starts to boil again, turn down the heat to the lowest.
- Cover with a lid and leave to simmer for 10 mins.
3. Marinate the chicken
- While waiting for the rice to cook. Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients listed.
4. Cook the chicken
- Stir in the chicken strips and ginger. Cook for 1 min then turn off the heat.
- Leave to sit (covered) for a further 1 min.
5. Assemble the dish
- Add the scallions to the congee. Stir well then transfer into the serving bowls.
- Optional garnish: Top each bowl with half of a hard boiled egg and some toasted peanuts. Serve warm.
The recipe is taken from Redhousespice
