A rice porridge comfort dish, popular across all of south-east Asia, served with mushrooms for bite and pickles for sharpness
Most roads to comfort, for me at least, end up in a bowl of rice – and I’m not the only one. Congee is a centuries-old comfort dish that’s made across south-east Asia. From India’s kanji to Japan’s kayu and Korea’s juk, there are a thousand variations, and it’s easy to see why: it demands so little of the cook, but gives so much back in providing just the sort of warm, nourishing bowl of goodness that is needed in the face of illness, cold weather or just a bad day at the office. In today’s recipe, I’ve used black rice, because I enjoy its nutty bite, along with mushrooms and a quick radish pickle just to pique your interest.