Mushroom and Black Fungus Congee

Congee is a type of rice porridge. This recipe is more toward the Cantonese style where the water to rice ratio is 12:1 and usually take at least 1 hour to be cooked. In order to save energy in cooking congee, I like to use the claypot which help to retain heat and reduce the cooking time to half. Just removed the mushroom, black fungus (wood ear), carrot, this recipe can be served as the basic congee recipe where other ingredients can be used or eaten as it is with other dishes.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 30 mins - plus 30 mins standing time

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g rice, washed and drained
° 1.2 litres water
° 2 slices ginger
° 20g carrot, peeled and finely shredded
° 2 Chinese dried mushrooms, soaked and finely shredded
° a small handful shredded black fungus, soaked and cut into smaller pieces
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° salt, to taste
° pepper, to taste
° light soy sauce (optional), to taste
° a small handful fresh spring onion or coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method
1. Put the rice, water, ginger, carrot, mushrooms and black fungus in a claypot. Let it stands for 1 hour or more, if desired.
2. Bring the congee to a boil for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover with a lid and leave it to stands for 30 minutes or more. Re-boil the congee for 10 minutes prior to serving. Season to taste with sesame oil, salt, pepper and light soy sauce.
3. Ladle the congee into individual serving bowls, garnish with spring onion or coriander leaves and serve hot.