Recipe - Chicken/dried scallops Congee (super easy)

I wasn't going to post this simple recipe until my boyfriend exclaimed last night, "This is the BEST congee I've ever had in my whole life!" Granted he was sick and a little woozy and probably his taste buds were all messed up but I took a quick bite and thought it was delicious as well. I read some recipes online and then kind of just created my own steps along the way.. so hopefully it's useful for those making congee for the important people in your life who might be feeling a little sick!

First off, I decided to use the rice I already had which is this one: http://www.amazon.com/RICE-Sushi-Rice-Japanese-style/dp/B000FJLXHU. Any rice will do really so don't worry about it. Also, we used our rice cooker - I am surprised that my bf didn't know that you could actually use this to cook congee, my mom has done this so many times when I was a kid, I thought it was really common.. but since it isnt normal to do this, I am telling you to use your ricecooker!

I first grabbed some dried scallops from my fridge, rinsed it under water a little and then broke it apart. Place on the side until you're ready to put them in. These are extremely tough so we are going to add these in at the very beginning for them to cook and turn softer throughout the process.

Then, the chicken! I cheated and used our leftover chicken from Costco that we had taken apart the day before - perfectly seasoned and tasted delicious. For those who do not have this, you can just go ahead and rinse the uncooked chicken breast/thigh/whatever you'd like and season it a little with salt and pepper - then just cut into slices and throw them in at the beginning also - this will allow the congee rice to soak up all the chicken flavor as well as the scallops flavor. It's extremely simple.

Then you have to measure the rice, I'd suggest a cup and half for two people and if you want leftovers for the next day, then 2 cups of rice. I had a hard time measuring the amounts of water to put so I experimented. I would say put in 6-8 cups of water per cup of rice for a consistency you see above (I like my congee "thicker") and if you'd like it to be a medium consistency - then 9 -11 cups. For a more watery consistency, I'd suggest even more water. 

Nevertheless, put in a little bit of water, set a timer (like I did) for twenty mins, check on it, set another timer for another 20 mins and check on it again, you can add water as you go so it's def. easier to add less than more.

Little piece of advice - put in a spoon (like the one you see above) into the boiling congee at the beginning. This ensures that the rice doesnt stick to the bottom as it's cooking. It's a nifty Chinese kitchen trick I learned as a kid and I know most restaurants/families do it because it... actually works!

Cook for 45 mins - 1 hour. And Voila! You have "the best congee he's ever eaten"

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 45 mins - 1 hour

Overall: An hour and half

YUMMY!