Prawn Ginger Congee

Congee, as it is called, is basically a Chinese soup made from over-boiled rice and water. It is very easy to make, gentle on the digestion and incredibly good for you.

In my household a bowl of congee was always the staple diet if you were feeling a little ‘under the weather’ or recovering from flu or tummy upsets. Seriously, we all found that somehow after a few bowls of this simple and delicious elixir, we all managed to bounce back to life.

5 minutes

45-60 minutes + 5 mins for prawns

Stove cooking

Ingredients

185g rice

- short grain
Water

- cold
250g prawns

- large, frozen and defrosted
Handful of sweetcorn

- frozen
Garnish:
Fresh ginger

- peeled, thinly sliced or grated
Spring onions

- finely sliced
Fresh chillies

- thinly sliced (optional)
Soya sauce

- light

Instructions

Prepare congee :
01 Wash rice. Place in a large saucepan with plenty of cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until very tender. The mixture by now should have the consistency of a thick gruel/porridge.
02 When the rice is thoroughly cooked and very soft add the prawns and sweet corn. Mix in carefully. Add more water if too thick.
03 Serve hot garnished with spring onions, slivers of fresh ginger, a few drops of light soya sauce and fresh chillies for the brave hearted.

Notes

Follow my few basics rules and your congee will be a success: do not let the rice boil dry, add water when necessary and do not cover with a lid. If all the ginger and chillies etc are too much, just add a chopped hard boiled egg with a dash of soya sauce. Simple yet so delicious.