Chicken Congee

Rinse the rice (180 g) in several changes of water, gently rubbing the grains between your palms until the water runs almost clear, then drain in a sieve.

In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine the rice, chicken stock (1600 ml) and half the ginger (10 g), thinly sliced. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Add the whole chicken breast (250 g) to the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer the congee, partially covered, for 20-25 minutes, stirring often with a wooden spoon so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom.

Remove the cooked chicken breast, let it cool slightly, then shred it into strands with two forks and return the meat to the pot.

Continue cooking the congee for another 25-30 minutes over low heat, stirring regularly, until the grains break down into a creamy, almost smooth consistency (50-60 minutes total from the boil).

5 minutes before it's done, season the congee with soy sauce (2 tbsp), sesame oil (1 tsp), ground white pepper (0.5 tsp) and salt to taste.

Separately, soft-boil an egg (6-7 minutes from when the water boils), cool it in ice water, peel and cut in half.

Ladle the congee into bowls, top each with half an egg, and sprinkle with chopped scallions (25 g) and julienned strips of the remaining fresh ginger (10 g).