Rice Porridge, Congee with ajitama egg, fried tofu, furikake, and Maggi seasoning

Growing up, whenever I was sick, my mom made me congee, or rice porridge.  It is very easy on the stomach and so comforting.  Now, whenever it is cold outside or I'm feeling a little under-the-weather, I make some.    It is very easily digestible, so ideal when you're having some tummy troubles.  Starting in vet school, my roommate Allegra introduced me to adding fried tofu to the dish.  So yummy.  I also like to eat it with an ajitama egg, a soft-boiled Japanese marinated egg, Furikake seasoning (Japanese rice seasoning), Maggi seasoning, and cha bong, or dried shredded pork.  Of course, if you were sick, you might want it a little more plain, with maybe just Maggi seasoning and cha bong.

I like to use one day old cooked rice, although you could start with uncooked rice grains, it will just take longer to cook.  What I learned from my mom is that there is traditionally two kinds of congee in Vietnamese cooking.  One is a plain rice porridge, made with water and simply served and another made with chicken or seafood stock, cooked with lots of flavorful ginger and seafood or chicken. The former is traditionally the one made for the ill, as it is easily digestible.  I tend to make a combination of both, cooking my congee with chicken broth and water.

Rice Porridge, Congee
Ingredients

• 2 c. cooked rice
• 2 c. chicken stock, plus more as needed
• 2 c. water, plus more as needed
• toppings such as ajitma egg, cha bong, Maggi seasoning, green onions, fried tofu.  See notes below

Directions

1. Simmer rice, chicken stock, and water over medium-low heat, stirring every 15-30 minutes for a long time, like 2-4 hours or until the individual rice grains start to disintegrate.  See picture below

Ajitama Egg, Japanese marinated soft-boiled egg
Directions:Soft boil egg(s).  Marinate for 1-2 hours in a mixture of soy sauce and mirin (sweet cooking rice wine). Word of advice, do not let marinate too long, otherwise egg will taste rubbery.

Fried Tofu
Directions: Cube medium firmness tofu in 1" cubes.  Fry in vegetable oil over medium heat until golden brown all sides.  Drain over paper towels and add a little salt.