Pork and Shiitake Congee

Congee, a quintessential comfort food with many regional variations across China, is an ideal dish if you’re feeling under the weather or want to prepare a one-pot meal with leftovers that will never disappoint. Cooked on a stovetop in water or broth until the rice breaks down and turns the liquid into a thick, creamy porridge, congee can take hours to prepare. So Betty Liu came up with a clever trick for this congee recipe: Rinse the rice and freeze it overnight. The frozen rice breaks down quickly, cutting your cooking time in half. Since the heart of the dish is the rice, take care in choosing your grains. If you don't have jasmine, reach for a short- or medium-grain white rice (like sushi rice), knowing you may have to adjust the cooking time and the amount of water.

You can replace that water with stock for another layer of flavor and experiment with the toppings; congee is infinitely adaptable. But keep in mind, it’s not meant to be overwhelmingly flavorful but rather delicate, nourishing, and easy to digest, so be gentle but creative with your variations. In the spring, dress a bowl up with green garlic oil and in the fall, Turkey Congee With Crispy Shiitake Mushrooms is a great way to use up the leftover turkey from your Thanksgiving meal.

Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published on January 19, 2020.