Comfort Food: Egg Drop Porridge

Egg Drop Porridge

My staple for the last week. I had this EVERY day for lunch just so that I could recover from my tummy pains.

I can't describe to you how comforting a bowl of gruel can be so good when you're really feeling under the weather. Maybe its the high sodium content of the preserved vegetables, the fact that you don't have to chew and possibly, the pure msg in the chicken stock cube used to make this but whatever it is, this is a must have and instant perk-me-up whenever you have had too much time in the toilet and your whole body is rejecting the fact that its alive.

This recipe is really easy and can easily be jazzed up with the 'proper' way of cooking it. My version is easily executable by the lame (unable to stay out of bed for long/hampered mobility), the blind (when you can barely see due to the immense sniffling/grogginess) and the grumpy (this bit is self explanatory). Of course, if you like to really do it the proper way, I will leave instructions as well. Enjoy and let me know what you think! 

Egg Drop Porridge 

(Serves two. Or one ravenous person)

Quick and Easy Version:

Ingredients: 

1) One Cube of Chicken Stock

2) 6 cups of water

3) 1/4 cup of rice

4) One or two cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

5) One Egg

6) Pickled vegetables of your choice ( I used pickled olive vegetables. Its AWESOME.)

7) A few drops of white sesame seed oil

8) Garnish ( Corriander, chopped spring onions and deep fried shallots if you are up for that) 

Method

1) Rinse rice till water runs clear.

2) Place the rice into a pot and add water, crushed garlic cloves and stock cube. Leave to boil covered till the mixture reaches a boil. Allow to simmer uncovered.

3) Simmer for 30 mins at least and stir porridge occassionally.Liquid will have reduced by more than half.

4) Once desired consistency is reached, crack the egg into the porridge. Working quickly, stir the raw egg and work it evenly into the porridge. Yolk should be broken and whites slightly scrambled. Immediately switch off the flame. 

5) Serve with pickled vegetables of choice, garnish and a few drops of white sesame seed oil.

TIPS: 

1) The longer you boil the porridge for, the finer it will get. Ideally, its best if you can keep it boiling for an hour or two and stirring it ever so often.I have boiled porridge for 4 hours before, the results were phenomenal. You would have to keep topping up the liquid to keep it going.

2) Stirring the porridge facilitates in breaking the rice grain down faster and also, prevents it from getting stuck to the bottom of the pot.

3) To make this healthy, make your own chicken stock. Boil a whole chicken or just the bones down with some carrots, celery and onions to make a good stock. 

4)The stock can also be made with fish bones, prawns or anything that you like for a base.

5) Up the nutritional value by using meats from the bones of your stock to add to your porridge or just shred some meat into the porridge at the beginning. 

6) This is best eaten on the day itself and you can serve it with whatever that catches your fancy. I have found some pictures of the canned vegetables my parents used to give me.

Pickled olive vegetable. My favourite.

Pickled lettuce.

Pickled mushrooms.

Now I am seriously not advocating nor telling you that eating preserved vegetables make a healthy and nutritionally sound staple diet, especially when you are sick. NO, I'm merely suggesting some of it as an option as  these vegetables can be very appetizing and help one take "baby" steps to eating normal foods again. I HIGHLY recommend complimenting these vegetables with some fresh vegetables and fresh meat

to make it a balanced meal. :)

Try going French by adding escargot, as one famous chef did or maybe, a cheesy version with sauteed brown mushrooms and caramelized onions?( would be a lot like a risotto). I think the options are limitless. After all, porridge is CONGEE-NENTAL...LOL.

OXOXO

S.T