Rice soup with pork and shrimp

This hearty soup is packed with ginger and garlic flavors, a perfect warm boost for the last days of winter.

Although Lady Spring teased us with her glorious appearance this past weekend, the upcoming snow in the forecast reminds us that it’s still winter. And there’s no better dish to be had than rice porridge when you’re in need of something warm and comforting for both your soul and your tummy.

Congee, rice porridge, jook, arroz caldo, bubur, chao … there are many names for this universal dish. The Thai version, kao tom, is heady with the scent and flavor of garlic and ginger, and a perfect remedy for the common cold. Kao tom (literally rice soup) is commonly eaten at breakfast, using leftover rice plus chicken or pork.

Here, my friend Pranee Halvorsen shares her recipe for kao tom moo (rice soup with pork). Feel free to tweak it at will and if you’d like some tips and guidelines, I spoke to Emma Christiansen of TheKitchn.com about congee-making at home.

Rice soup with pork and shrimp

Makes: 2 to 3 servings
Time: 20 minutes

1-1/4 cups chicken stock
1 cup water, plus more as needed
2 cups cooked jasmine or other long-grain rice
5 cloves garlic, chopped (1-1/2 tablespoons)
2-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and minced (2 tablespoons)
4 ounces ground pork or chicken
1 cup spinach leaves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 egg (optional)
1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)

Garnishes:
8 cooked medium shrimp, peeled
Chopped green onions
Chopped cilantro leaves
Ground white or black pepper

1. In a large saucepan, bring the stock, water and rice to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat until it becomes runny and starts to shimmer. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until golden and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Don’t burn them! Reserve half for garnish and add the rest to the soup.

3. In the same skillet, heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and stir and cook until it just loses its blush, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the partially cooked pork into the soup. Simmer until the rice grains have absorbed some of the stock and expanded about 1-1/2 times their original size. The texture of the rice soup should not be as thin as a clear soup, nor as thick as congee or cooked oatmeal, another 2 to 3 minutes, or about 10 minutes total. The final dish should comprise about one-third liquid and two-thirds rice grains. Dimmer for a few more minutes to reduce or add more water to reach the desired consistency.

4. Stir in the spinach, soy sauce, and salt. Return the soup to a boil and crack in the egg and drizzle with sesame oil. Give it one last stir, then ladle into individual bowls. Garnish with the reserved garlic and ginger, the shrimp, green onions, and cilantro. Sprinkle with pepper to taste.

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