Comfort Food Recipe: Rice Porridge (aka congee)

When I'm having a bad day and need to be hugged from the inside out, I always make myself a big bowl of rice porridge. (Also known as congee.) This dish is super easy to make, is cheap and filling, and is great for vegans and omnivores alike. I made this a lot when I lived in Florida and was super low on funds because it makes your rice last a lot longer.

There are a million ways to make it, but here's how I did mine today:

1/4 cup white rice (do not rinse/wash)
3 cups water
1 teaspoon wonton soup base (can also use half a bouillon cube)

(Makes one serving.)

Add the rice, water, and soup base to a large pot over high heat, cover, and bring to a boil. Make sure you're watching it so it doesn't boil over! Once at a rolling boil, reduce heat to low and simmer. Stir every few minutes, and simmer until it's the consistency you want; this took about 40 minutes. You can play with the amount of water and length of time - some people (like me) like it goopy, some people like it a little more loose and soupy. That's your basic congee.

Today I cracked an egg and stirred it in. This blends the yolk with the rice and turns it yellow, while still leaving little streaks of egg white. I topped it with some soy sauce, sriracha, and crispy bacon bits. When I was growing up, my mom topped it with "special eggs," which is scrambled eggs with soy sauce, fish sauce, and some veggies, fried in one big pancake so that it's crispy on the outside and still soft on the outside. I love this with shredded chicken, sautéed vegetables, chopped scallions, you name it! The sky’s the limit.