Bring the broth or water to a boil over medium-high to high heat on the stove top. Rinse the rice a few times in water and add it to the boiling broth. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Put the lid on the pot but leave it slightly ajar to let steam escape and simmer gently for 60 – 90 minutes until rice breaks down and forms a porridge-like consistency (similar to making rice water). Stir frequently to avoid burning and add more broth or water if needed.

While rice is simmering, in a medium bowl, mix the ground pork with the garlic and fish or soy sauce. Form the mixture into bite-sized meatballs and set aside. If you can, do this a few hours or even the day before and store it the meatballs in the fridge. They’ll soak up a lot more flavor.

Once the rice thickens into porridge, ladle one to two servings into a separate smaller pot. Add a little more broth if needed and return to a simmer. Add the pork meatballs and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until fully cooked.

Add eggs and poach for a few minutes, or until the egg white form and the yolks remain runny.

Remove the congee from the heat (the eggs will continue to cook in the hot broth) and ladle into serving bowls. Top with any combination of the seasonings you prefer, to taste.

When the larger pot of congee cools, store it in the fridge. For quick meals throughout the week, simply scoop out a cup or two, add some broth to get the consistency you want, warm it up in on the stove and then repeat steps 3 -5 above. It all comes together in ten minutes tops.