Thai Congee

Ingredients

For the congee

• 1 cup rice cooked in pork broth or chicken broth or water
• 2 eggs

For the pork meatballs

• 1/4 pound ground pork
• 1-2 cloves garlic diced
• 1-2 tsp fish sauce or soy sauce

Seasonings, to taste

• Ginger sliced into matchsticks
• Scallions chopped
• Fried garlic and/or shallots
• Fish sauce and/or soy sauce
• Black or white pepper

Instructions

1. Rinse 1 cup of white rice in water a few times.
2. Add 2 quarts of water or broth and bring to a boil.  Turn heat down and simmer gently for 60 – 90 minutes until rice breaks down and forms a porridge-like consistency.  Stir frequently to avoid burning and add more water if needed.
3. While rice is cooking, in a medium bowl, mix the ground pork with the garlic and fish sauce. Form the mixture into bite-sized meatballs.
4. When the rice is done, remove the pot from stove, and transfer one serving size (about 1 cup) to a separate pot. Add a little more water or broth if needed (I usually add chicken or pork broth) and return to a simmer. Add the pork meatballs and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until fully cooked.
5. Add the eggs and poach for a few minutes, or until the egg whites form and the yolks remain runny.
6. Remove the congee from the heat (the eggs will continue to cook in the hot broth).
7. Ladle the jok into a serving bowl and season with the ginger, scallions, fried garlic, fried shallots, fish sauce, soy sauce, and pepper, to taste. You may use any combination of those to suit your own tastes.
8. Let the main pot of congee cool and then store it in the fridge. It will thicken quite a bit from the starch in the rice. You’ll now have a big pot of congee ready to go for the rest of the week. Simply repeat instructions 3 through 7.