Miso tofu congee (porridge) - food to (almost) cure a sore throat - with a side of walnuts and chives

I've been feeling a little under the weather for the past 2 days and despite the beautiful sunshine outside, I just wanted to curl up on the couch and sleep and sleep and sleep. I was craving something soothing and for me, given my childhood filled with mom's wonderful home-cooked Taiwanese food, I craved congee. Congee is a type of porridge made of leftover rice that's been cooked until all the grains are pretty much broken down and forms a lumpy slurry.

I've modified the porridge based on ingredients on hand and used a short grained Japanese white and brown rice because they have higher starch content and gives more 'slurry-ness' to the congee. We usually have spicy fried anchovies and peanuts with congee but I thought that would contribute to the throat irritation - so it became something like "lightly fried walnuts and chives". I also didn't have any leftover rice so I steamed fresh rice just for this congee, and when you are not feeling well, it is totally worth it.

Ingredients:

2 cups steamed Japanese short grain rice (1/2 brown rice, 1/2 white rice)
4 cups water + additional
1 1/2 tbsp Miso paste
50 g silken tofu
1 sprig green onion, chopped to 1 cubic cm
2 sprigs cilantro, roughly chopped

In a large pot, combine steamed rice with water and bring to a boil for about 2 mins. Reduce the heat to medium and let it bubble and thicken, roughly 15 - 20 mins, stirring every so often. Make sure to try a grain of the brown rice to see that it has broken down. The porridge should look sludgy and pasty and starchy and, well... like porridge (as my mom would say).

Add the miso paste and stir to incorporate it homogeneously throughout. Break up the tofu by hand into the congee, then add the onions and cilantro and stir, about 3 - 4 mins. The congee can be eaten as is, or served with the dish below:

Walnuts and Chives:
Canola oil
1 glove garlic, finely minced
1 cup chives, chopped 2 cm length
Large handful of walnuts
Salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet on medium high heat, fry up garlic until slightly browned, then add chives. Reduce heat to medium. When chives start to wilt, add walnuts and toss around so that the juices cover them. Take skillet off heat, add salt and pepper (or some chili flakes or your favourite spice) and toss again so that the spices coat everything.

Enjoy with a nice big bowl of congee :)

Stay healthy everyone!

2-2 relaxing in the early evening under the coffee table.... she didn't want to go to bed, just wanted to lounge....