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Yield: 6 servings
 
      1 c  Long grain rice
      3 qt Stock [I used chicken stock. S.C.]
      2 tb Minced Chinese preserved turnip
      1 sl Ginger root, minced
      1    Piece tangerine peel, soaked to soften and minced
           Salt
           Garnish of:
           Chopped green onion
           Chopped coriander
           Slivered preserved ginger
           Sliced tea melon
 
  In all my years of eating and cooking Chinese food,
  I'd never tried Congee (rice gruel) before yesterday.
  It just seemed so *bland* that I thought it couldn't
  possibly be all that interesting. I was WRONG! The
  recipe below gives a subtle but hearty "soup" which
  can be garnished in a virtually infinite number of
  ways according to personal taste. I found that I like
  just the basic stuff, unembellished the best. I
  substituted half a cup of long grain rice and half a
  cup of glutinous rice for the long grain rice and it
  worked very well. The preserved turnip seems to be
  used mostly for its salt content. I found it
  unnecessary to add any more salt to the congee. The
  tangerine peel gives a very subtle, nice hint of
  exotic perfume to the dish. The pot I made set up
  almost like a pea soup when it cooled. Good stuff!
  Ridiculously easy too...
 
  Congee (Jook)
 
  Combine rice, stock, preserved turnip, ginger and
  tangerine peel in a large soup pot and bring to a
  boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered approximately
  1-1 1/2 hours or until the rice is thoroughly broken
  up. Stir occasionally to prevent soup from sticking
  and add boiling water if necessary. When done, soup
  should be thick and creamy. Add salt to taste and
  garnish with any or all of the suggested garnishes.
 
  Variations: Just before serving, add cooked chicken,
  pork, ham or beef. Or with rice add diced forest
  mushrooms, soaked to soften or dried shrimp.