Korea: Jook

Jook, also called congee, is a tasty Asian soup. This is an incredibly flexible recipe.. from what I gather, you can just throw together whatever you have in the kitchen, in addition to a few staple ingredients. My favorite ingredients include mushrooms, peas, and fish sauce (ideas courtesy of David Lebovitz's blog, www.davidlebovitz.com). I've written out my go-to recipe below, but please remember to change it as much as you like, based on what you like and what's on hand in your fridge.

My ingredients:

4 cups chicken stock

4 cups water

1 cup short grain rice (white or brown will work)

2 inch fresh ginger root, minced

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup frozen peas

A big dash of fish sauce to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Combine chicken stock, water, and rice in a large pot and simmer until rice is tender (about an hour).

Step 2: Add ginger, raw chicken, vegetables, and fish sauce and continue to simmer about 30 minutes.

Step 3: Add salt and pepper as needed.

I topped mine with scallions and fresh cilantro because it's what I had on hand, but the possibilities are really endless! For more ideas: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/07/jook/