The last time I made congee I did not have any dried shrimp. This time, thanks to my dear friend Jo at Create A Cook, I have some lovely whole dried shrimp in Korean chili oil that are going to be perfect for my little pot of congee. When I say whole I mean shells, eyes, little flipper things - the entire creature. These shrimp are a tad larger than the dried shrimp I've used in the past, so I'm excited to see what kind of texture they are going to add to my dish.
I add my minced ginger and garlic as soon as the rice/water mixture starts to simmer. The other ingredients are based on what I have on hand, and added when the rice has begun to get soft. Some diced carrot, frozen peas, a pinch of salt and once the rice is tender I add a little dash of fish sauce and soy sauce as well as my dried shrimp.
The whole shrimp added body (literally) and texture to the congee. And although they were larger than the dried shrimp I had used previously they still managed to add to the dish without taking away from any of the other flavours or textures.