After two weeks in Southeast Asia, I cannot imagine ever eating oatmeal again. Instead, I am fully converted to nourishing, savory congee, topped with all kinds of garnishes from fresh ginger to wasabi flavored furikake (that stuff is a must, like Japanese everything bagel spice mix). Congee is a rice porridge, made by slowly cooking the rice in lots of liquid, allowing the starch to break down and thicken. In my opinion, the key to this dish is using a really rich base, like homemade chicken stock (don’t skim the fat please!). The addition of the chicken foot, as macabre as it might be, boosts the collagen level of the soup, making it silky and sticky, smooth and gelatinous with tons of added nutritional value added.

In this recipe I use fresh shitake mushrooms, but adding chopped, whole dried mushrooms works just as well, just add them to the stock in step #1. Make this porridge at the beginning of the week, and just re-heat with an added splash of liquid each time you serve. TO make this vegetarian, sub veggie broth for the chicken broth and omit the chicken foot, obviously.

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice
• 4 cups homemade chicken broth (sub veggie if you must)
• 2 cups water, plus more for later
• 1 chicken foot (optional)
• 2 tbs white miso
• 1 piece of kombu seaweed, 4″ long
• 6 oz fresh shitake mushrooms

For Serving

• 1″ fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 green onion, julienned
• Furikake
• Soy sauce
• Mung bean sprouts
• 1 soft-boiled egg

Instructions

1. Combine rice, miso, broth, water, chicken foot and kombu in a large saucepan. Set over a high flame and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat. Trim the stems from the mushrooms, discarding any dirty nubs, and mince. Add to the pot and simmer uncovered for two hours, stirring occasionally. If the congee gets super thick, just add more broth or water, 1/2 a cup at a time.

2. Remove the chicken foot if using, and slice the shitake mushroom caps in 1/8″ slivers. Add to the congee with another cup of liquid and stir. Cook the mushrooms for five minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent burning. When ready to serve, ladle into individual bowls and top with the garnish of your choice.