Congee

I love congee. I was in heaven in Hawaii where every hotel has congee at their breakfast buffet. So much so that upon coming home I decided I had been too long without regular doses of congee. It is pretty easy to make. The most time consuming part is preparing the all the sides you put on top, but most of those we already have in the fridge. I just need to roast some tofu and make the szechuan sauce/marinade. You just have to plan ahead to soak the rice overnight, otherwise the cooking time will be twice as long. I make a big batch and then eat it all week re-heated with a little water.

rice, tofu, onions, sesame seeds, soy sauce, salt

soak your rice overnight

toast your sesame seeds and decide you want some toasted cashews also

crush the cashews once toasted (you can sub in any nut here for crunch)

make the sauce - oil, onions, szechaun peppercorns, and soy sauce

cube your drained tofu and remember you want some rice vinegar in the sauce

toss the tofu with the sauce and let sit 30 minutes or so, save the leftover sauce

then roast low and slow until the tofu is very brown and dry

now that the rice has soaked, drain and rinse

then add 7-8 parts water for your 1 part rice

bring to a simmer and cook covered for 1-2 hours until it looks like this

line up all the sides and assemble (I am just missing japanese pickles)

so yummy and warm and filling

This is my kind of breakfast!