Congee

Congee is rice simmered in plenty of water until the grains break down and the pot turns smooth and creamy — eaten across China for breakfast, when unwell, or any time a plain, warming bowl is wanted.

What it really is

Rice goes into six to ten times its volume of water and simmers for an hour or more, stirred now and then, until the grains split and the liquid thickens into a spoonable base. Cantonese kitchens often add stock or a piece of meat to the pot, for a deeper bowl sometimes called jūk; plain water elsewhere gives a lighter congee built to carry its toppings.

The porridge is a base, not a finished dish. Century egg — a preserved duck egg with a dark, jelly-like white — cut into wedges, pork floss, chopped spring onion and ginger turn plain rice into a full breakfast. The same lightly salted base is also given to the sick and the very young.

How it is served

• Hot, in a deep bowl, with toppings added just before eating.
• With a Chinese soup spoon; the porridge itself needs no chopsticks.
• Alongside youtiao, fried dough sticks, for dipping.

How to write it on the menu

• Say whether it is plain or cooked with stock or meat — the two are different dishes.
• List the toppings by name; they carry most of the flavour and the allergens.
• Century egg and pork floss are the classic pairing, and either can be left off.