Easy Chinese Canned Abalone Porridge

• 1 Cup White jasmine rice, rinsed Rinsed- don't wash till the water runs totally clear as you need the starch for the congee! You can substitute with brown rice (longer cook time) or short-grain white rice (which can reduce the cooking time.)
• 9 Cups chicken broth Substitute: chicken bouillon cube. Top up with plain water if you don't have enough chicken stock.
• 1 Can abalone Cut into small pieces or thin slices. Add 3-4 Tablespoons into the porridge and keep the rest for stir-fries or noodle soups.
• 5 dried scallops/ conpoy Soak in hot water for 10 minutes. If you don't have time to soak, don't worry- just boil the porridge over high heat for 1 hour and your scallops will be soft. These give the rice porridge umami and depth of flavour but are quite expensive. (They'll also add a bit of salt to the porridge so taste before seasoning later.) Feel free to substitute with dried conch, dried squid or 1 of these dried scallop alternatives.
• 3-5 lices ginger
• salt to taste. You can substitute with fish sauce which is not traditional but I love the depth of flavor which goes well with abalone.
• 1-2 Tablespoon Goji berries Optional. Goji berries are good for your eyes and both make the porridge a little sweeter which helps if you're using unsweetened homemade stock (Shop bought or bouillon cubes are usually heavily seasoned and may not need this.) S
• 1-2 Honey date Opyional. Note that there is a seed in the middle of the date so you may want to cut it out when it has softened after cooking! Sweetens the porridge naturally and can be substituted with minced carrots or red dates. The red dates have a herbal flavor though.C

Garnishes

• Optional: sesame oil Drizzle on top of each bowl
• Optional: spring onions, sliced Click here for alternatives to green onions.
• Optional: think sliced ginger
• Optional: fried shallots