I love congee. To the point where I’ve posted about it at least a couple of times now. What makes this congee a little different than the other ones I have made it is that it’s a lot simpler. The other ones used game birds or meats, or were a little less accessible. But this one is as straightforward as congee gets. The youtiao, or Chinese krueller, is made using leftover flour dredge from when I was making arancini, since that’s a fun and rather effective way to use up flour that you would probably just throw away! Overall, this is a straightforward recipe, but it is one that I love to make on lazy weekends when I just need to get a meal made.

For the youtiao:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup soy milk
2 tablespoons canola oil with more for frying
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon active-dry yeast powder

Mix ingredients together to form your dough. Rest the dough for 10 minutes, then roll out the dough into a 6-inch by 3-inch rectangle. Cut into 3-inch by 1-inch rectangles and press two together through the center using a chopstick, pulling them to stretch them out to 5 inches in length. Chill the dough for another 20 minutes then fry in 330 degree F canola oil, basting them in the oil until the exterior is golden brown and the dough has fully expanded. Drain on a paper towel.

For the congee:
1/2 cup rice
4g kombu
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups water
1 knob ginger, sliced
1 jubejube(Chinese date)

Simmer everything together on medium heat while stirring on occasion until the rice is fully cooked.

For the garnish:
Oyster mushrooms
1 tablespoon mushroom soy
Pork floss

Roast the mushrooms at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Toss in the soy and roast for a further 5 minutes. You want the mushrooms to be golden brown to top the congee with.