Thanks to my heritage, I eat rice quite frequently. It comes as no surprise that rice cooker is a must have in my kitchen. As I own a big rice cooker (more than I need for a household of two people),  I seem to have a never ending supply of leftover rice.

Although leftover rice is perfect for making fried rice, I have been enjoying my leftover rice in the form of “creamy” soup.  When you blend cooked rice and water (or broth) and allow the mixture to cook long enough, the consistency becomes quite thick and silky smooth.  If you are familiar with dim sums or yumcha, you may come across a similar dish called congee or porridge (not the oatmeal type). My mum used to cook this with uncooked rice and it takes ages to get to the “creamy” consistency.

Using leftover rice is a short cut I learn to appreciate. I love the fact that it is dairy-free and it takes no time from start to finish. Best of all it is a versatile recipe which I can use up my leftovers, just like making fried rice!

“Creamy” Roast Chicken and Rice Soup

(Serves 3-4 people)

Ingredients:-

• 2 cups of cooked rice
• 1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables (consists of peas, carrots and corn)
• 1 cup leftover roast chicken, diced (add some bones for added flavour if you wish)
• A handful of fresh parsley
• White pepper
• Salt to taste
• Recently boiled water (get read a full kettle of boiling water) – it took me about 4 cups of boiling water

Equipment required – a stick blender or a food processor.

For croutons:

• 2 slices of bread to make croutons
• Olive oil

Methods:-

1. Dice bread and roast chicken.

2. Add boiling water into a large size pot, follow by rice and chicken bones (if you are using).  Here, I eyeball the amount of water to add as it may vary depending on the size of the pot. What I normally do is to add until an  inch ( approximately 2 cm) above the rice.  Allow the mixture to boil over high heat. When the mixture is boiling, turn the heat to low-medium and continue to simmer the mixture, uncovered.

I normally leave it to simmer until I finish with making the croutons. So keep and eye on the mixture to make sure the water doesn’t dry up.

3. To  make croutons, heat up a small (or medium) sized pan with some olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the diced bread and “toast” it over low heat until crispy and hard. Then, set aside to cool.

As you may know, bread drinks up a lot of oil. So you may need to keep adding more when the pan is dry.

4. Remove the mixture from the heat and remove the chicken bones. Blend with a stick blender to your preferred consistency. I prefer the mixture to be  silky soup resembling cream of mushroom soup.

5. Return the mixture to the stove. Add chicken and mixed vegetables to the mixture. Add water if you think the consistency is too thick.  Cook over low heat until boiling. Remember to stir occassionally to ensure the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pot.

 6.  As you boil the mixture it will be come thick. So you have to keep adding water until your preferred consistency. Sorry if I sound like a broken-record, but it is best to resemble cream of mushroom soup.  When you are satisfied with the consistency, and white pepper and salt to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately.

I would like to give a shout out to Ms Vera Galca.  She really made my day with her emails to me. The icing of the cake is that she is kind enough to share her pictures on recipes she made from my blog.  Thanks for taking the time from your busy schedules to capture the photos, I really appreciate it!

{Vera’s twist on the apple & blueberry wholemeal muffins}

{Chocolate pinwheels}

{Vera’s take on sweet potato cracker but with pumpkin instead}

If you’ve made recipes from my blog, I welcome your photo submission to be featured on my blog. It would be my pleasure to link your photos to your blog if you have one.

Please send your photos to fussfreecooking@gmail.com. Thanks in advance! 🙂