i never planned to fall in love with congee. this was not an arranged marriage, no long
courtship. i frequently passed congee in
the hallway without a second glance, i denied congee’s facebook friend request,
i barely even made eye contact with congee across the crowded high school
cafeteria. if hand-crafted ramen and
kimchi-fried rice are the jake ryans of the asian carb world, then congee is
the anthony michael hall; frankly a bit weedy, rather insipid, and oft
outshined by burly teens in plaid shirts and sweater vests who drive red sports
cars and wear a soulful gaze like it’s never going out of style (hint: it’s
not).
my apparent aversion to breakfast leads me down many roads: smoothies? worth a shot. oatmeal?
i suppose i can dig that. a
handful of almonds on the run? it’ll
do. but more often than not i sadly end
up skipping breakfast, which we all know by now is the 8th cardinal sin.
or is that 13th? i get
these things confused. regardless, it’s
a foodie and metabolism no-no. this much
i know for sure: Avoid Like Plague Thy
Corn Syrup of High Fructose, Never Shalt Thy Use Frozen Scallops, and Thy Shalt
NEVER EVAH Skip Breakfast!!
the other night, stricken by a plague of insomnia, i lay
in bed browsing recipes at 3am. i
happened upon an article about congee, and it got me thinking. maybe here’s another way to conquer my
leftovers problem; to cull the population of half-portions left to die a slow
death in the wasteland of my fridge, and to turn them into delicious
possibilities. and maybe, just maybe,
with having ready made breakfasts on hand, who knows, i might actually have
something for my morning meal other than my obligatory cup of the good coffee
crack. congee, let’s go for a ride…
CONGEE (an apology to breakfast)
leftover rice (i use brown and feel less guilty. marginally.)
water or stock
combine leftover rice with water or stock (or a combination)
in roughly a 1:2 ratio. simmer over low
heat for 1.5ish hours (until thick and creamy).
congee can now be stored in fridge in a covered container for 5 days or
so, ready to whip out for an almost-instant breakfast. praise the lord!
show time: put as much rice as you’re hungry for in a bowl
(you know your appetites better than i do, people) and reheat until warm. add a splash of soy sauce, stir through, and
then get ready for the fun part…
toppings:
the trick to making congee anything worth eating is (with
apologies to anthony michael hall) the toppings. the accessories. the
bling. the options are, frankly, limitless. here are a few of my faves:
ginger-scallion sauce
a devilishly moreish sauce from the mind of david chang,
it’s as easy as pie, and as addictive as crack.
combine sliced scallions, grated ginger, a glug of neutral-flavoured
oil, a splash of soy sauce, and a dash of vinegar. mix and enjoy. on everything. seriously.
(and yes, i just used almost every non-measured “measurement” in one
sentence. if only it also called for a
“knob of butter…”)
grumpy asian lady chile sauce
i suppose i could look the actual name up, but i’ve never
needed it in 15 years of cooking.
however, this adds zing to most things i eat. thank you, grumpy asian lady, whomever you
may be.
poached egg
less scary than it sounds.
bring a pan of water and a splash of vinegar to a boil, use a spoon to
make a whirlpool in the middle (meanwhile pretending you’re some sort of warlock or
some such), crack an egg into the swirling vortex, remove from heat, and
cover. five minutes later you have a perfectly
poached egg and tom collichio wants to give you a foot-rub. boom.
leftover protein goodness
my fridge is usually never without some kind of leftover
protein from some recent dinner or another.
shredded pork, thinly-sliced steak, grilled salmon, these will all
elevate your breakfast goodness whilst giving you a much-appreciated energy
boost to help survive the morning.
protein FTW!
this is one of my recent efforts topped with baby shiitakes (which my friend grew for me. truth), spinach, sliced steak, pickled mustard greens (one of my obsessions, see previous posts for further explanation), and grumpy asian lady chile sauce. but, frankly, this is combination one of millions. anything goes, my friends. and between us? if this is too barmy for breakfast, then it
makes a mighty-fine lunch (or dinner), too.
and if you’ve no leftover rice?
i’ve done the same toppings with some soba noodles, and haven’t skipped
a beat. start your own Breakfast Club
today, people. and somebody be sure to invite
The Geek…
