Stovetop Chicken Congee

Method

1. 1

   Rinse the rice until the water runs mostly clear. Put it in a heavy pot with the water, ginger, and chicken. Bring it to a boil, then drop it to the lowest simmer you can keep, with the lid ajar.

2. 2

   Cook 70 to 90 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes, and more often near the end, scraping the bottom. If you smell browning, the heat is too high or you have waited too long to stir. Add hot water whenever it thickens before the grains have broken open. The extra water, beyond the Instant Pot version, is for what the open pot loses to the air.

3. 3

   It is done when the rice has blossomed and a spoon dragged through the pot leaves a slow trail. Lift out the chicken, shred it, and discard the bones. Skim fat if you like a clearer bowl.

4. 4

   Salt and white pepper go in at the end. Serve with the chicken and scallions.

From the kitchen

• Do not leave it for the whole hour. Stovetop congee is simple and it is not unattended. A scorched bottom makes the whole pot taste bitter, and stirring is the prevention.
• The century-egg and lean-pork finish is the same as on the Instant Pot chicken congee: thin pork stirred into the boiling porridge for 2 to 3 minutes, until no pink remains, and the chopped century egg added in the bowl.
• If you have an Instant Pot and a morning when you cannot stand at the stove, use that recipe. The bowl should taste the same.