Chicken Congee

Put the rice into a heavy pan with the stock, the ginger coins and the chicken thighs.

Do not rinse the rice. Everything the steamed basmati rice in this collection washes down the sink is what thickens a congee, and rinsed grains give you chicken soup with rice in it.

Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.

Skim off any foam that gathers in the first few minutes.

Turn the heat down until one bubble breaks the surface every second or two.

Simmer uncovered, or with the lid propped ajar, for 60-90 minutes.

Stir every 10 minutes with a wooden spoon, working it right across the base of the pan.

Do not leave it to itself. Rice sinks and welds to the base within minutes, and once a congee has scorched the burnt taste runs through the whole pot and cannot be lifted back out.

Lift the chicken thighs out after 25 minutes, once the meat pulls away from the bone.

Shred the meat with two forks and set it aside.

Discard the bones.

Carry on simmering until the grains have burst and lost their shape entirely and the congee falls off the spoon in a thick, even stream.

Fish out the ginger coins.

Stir the shredded chicken back in and warm it through for 2-3 minutes.

Season the pot with the 4g of fine salt and the soy sauce.

Take it off the heat while it is looser than you want to eat it. Congee thickens in the pan as it stands and again in the bowl, and a pot cooked to the right consistency on the hob sets to a solid mass by the time it reaches the table.

Loosen it with a splash of hot stock if it has already gone past that.

Ladle it into deep warm bowls.

Trickle the sesame oil over.

Season with the ground white peppercorns.

Scatter over the spring onions and coriander.

Put the chilli oil on the table for people to add themselves.

Remember the ratio rather than the numbers: eight parts liquid to one part rice by weight, which here is 200g of rice to 1.6 litres, and it holds at any quantity.