Chinese Rice Porridge (Recipe)

Almost nothing is more comforting to me than a big steaming bowl of rice porridge with all the "fixins". This was what I had for breakfast as a kid (and still today at times) and what my parents would make me when I wasn't feeling well. One of the things I love about rice porridge is that it's so simple to make. The other thing I love about it is, like pizza, you can put any toppings imaginable on it. Here is a very simple slow-cooker method that I would like to share.

Here's what you'll need:
1 cup white rice (I prefer Jasmine rice)
11 cups filtered water
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup minced or grated ginger (optional)


Here's what you'll do:
- In the bowl of your slow cooker, add rice and water.
- Add grated ginger and stir.
- Set on low, cover with lid and let the mixture cook for 3-4 hours or until desired thickness. I like my porridge thick. Please note that it will bubble up while cooking. Leave the lid on but you can move it a little so it's off center to release the steam.
- Stir in green onion and ladle into bowls.

Add any toppings you like. The picture below includes 1000-year-old egg, pickled jelly fish, peanut gluten, and fresh cilantro.

But I also like to add any kind of cooked meat, bean sprouts, soft-boiled egg, fried garlic, seaweed, sauteed greens, pickled vegetables, anything! Even just a drizzle of soy sauce and sesame oil would do it for me.

Enjoy!

B-dama--Oakland (Japanese cuisine)

For an izakaya experience in downtown Oakland, B-Dama offers casual but elegant food to pair with their selection of sake and beer. Located at 907 Washington Street, B-Dama is open for lunch and dinner. They share a dining space with several other businesses, so it can be a bit busy, but the food is definitely worth the crowd.

Here are some of the things I've enjoyed.

http://www.asbdama.com/



Organic Tofu + Seaweed Salad. A firm tofu with a very nice crumble that tastes handmade. The seaweed is fresh and just salty enough and the drizzle of white sesame dressing and daikon sprouts brings this dish together very well.

Ginger Pork. Sauteed pork loin with a sweet and savory ginger teriyaki sauce. The thin slices of pork were fully cooked but not dry. The ginger flavor was very prominent. Excellent for a ginger lover.

Tsukune Don. A Japanese style chicken "burger" with rice, a fresh side salad and a perfectly cooked soft-boiled egg. The chicken patty was so savory and moist and went very well with the egg and rice.

Fish Lunch Set. Another option for lunch is a "lunch set" which includes rice, tempura, miso soup, pickles, a side salad and a protein. This one included fried fish and it was perfectly flaky. All the other components were also very tasty.

Chicken Karaage. Juicy, meaty pieces of Japanese-style deep fried organic, free-range chicken. So succulent and served with a curry powder that amped up the flavor. A fantastic dish.

B-dama has become one of my favorite spots for lunch. Everything is consistent, fresh, very tasty and nicely presented. If in the area, a visit will not be regretted.