Congee Inspired By Chicken Soup By Scott Drewno

Of all the things to steal from a kitchen, we never understood why Goldilocks went for the porridge.

Then we tasted Scott Drewno's chicken soup-inspired congee (see the recipe), a classic Chinese rice porridge.

Drewno, who mans the kitchen at Wolfgang Puck's The Source in Washington, D.C., has familiarized himself with Chinese cuisine by taking extended trips to China. On his explorations, he gravitated toward the techniques of elderly matrons and recipes from down-home canteens rather than flashy high-end restaurants.

When we asked him to give us a take on chicken soup using four basic ingredients–rice, broth, chicken and braising greens–he created a dish that stays true to Chinese flavors while still possessing the familiar backbone of the soups we grew up slurping on sick days.

He augments his thick, slow-boiled rice with chicken that's been braised in a sauce of star anise, cinnamon, ginger and soy sauce. Punctuating each creamy bite are fiery pickled mustard greens.

Make it for a group, or follow Goldi's lead and keep it for yourself.