This is Jok, a rice soup, made with mushrooms. It's normally cooked for a very long time so that the rice becomes mushy. However to make it easier, I've cooked it normally, and run it through a blender to break the rice grains.

Ingredients for 2 People
150 gms Rice
4 Shitake Mushrooms
500 ml Water
1 Chicken Stock Cube (Or Vegetable stock cube for Vegetarian)
Chopped Coriander Leaves (Optional)
Chopped Ginger Root (Optional)
Fried Garlic (Optional)

Preparation
1. Soak the shitake mushrooms in water for 10 minutes.
2. Boil the rice in the water until cooked. To make the smoother texture of Jok, run the cooked rice through a food processor, or hand blender for a minute.
3. Cook it for a second time on a low heat. Add the chicken stock cube and stir until it is dissolved. If the mixture dries out, add a little more water.
4. Slice the mushrooms, add to the rice soup and cook for 5 minutes longer.
5. When the soup is served, garnish it with chopped coriander, thin slices of ginger root, and fried garlic.

Soft rice soup is very common in Thailand, it's made by boiling rice overnight until it becomes soft, more like a fine pureé than a rice dish. There are many easier ways to make this dish though. In Thailand we have instant Jog in packets, you can also buy Rice Semolina in supermarkets in the west, this can be used to make Jog and another way is to make rice soup and liquidize it with a hand blender.

Ingredients for 2 People
100 gms Rice Semolina
1 Chicken Stock Cube
500 ml Water
1/4 Teaspoon White Pepper
1/2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Tablespoon Chopped Coriander Leaves
1 Tablespoon Chopped Celery
40 gms Pork Liver

Preparation
1. Clean the pork liver and slice it. Cook in boiling water for 3 minutes and set it aside.
2. Into a saucepan, place the rice semolina, 500 ml water and bring to the boil.
3. Add the chicken stock cube and salt. Boil and stir for 10 minutes.
4. To serve, place the rice into a bowl, add the pork liver, chopped coriander, celery and a dash of white pepper. This is served with the usual Thai condiments, of flaked dried chillies, some fresh soya beansprouts and thin slices of ginger. All of these add the flavours and if you can, it's best to add a little of each.

Serve With
Soya Beansprouts
Chop Ginger
Flaked Chillies
Fried Garlic

Jog is a classic from the archive. Another variation of soft rice soup, this one is traditionally served with a very very soft boiled egg cracked onto the top, and fried shrimp. When you eat the soup, you break the yolk into the soft soup, and stir it in.

Ingredients for 2 People
100 gms Rice Semolina
500 ml Water
1 Chicken Stock Cube
8 Shrimp
1 Tablespoon Chopped Coriander Leaves
1 Tablespoon Chopped Celery
1 Teaspoon Ginger Powder
1/4 Teaspoon White Pepper
1 Egg

Preparation
1. Clean the shrimp, cut down the back and remove the black thread gut. I normally leave the head and tail on for presentation.
2. Fry the shrimp for 2 minutes until cooked.
3. Place the rice semolina, water and chicken stock cube into a saucepan and boil for 10 minutes.
4. Boil the egg until it's soft boiled. In Thailand we barely cook it and add it almost raw. The intention is to cook the egg by stirring it into the hot rice soup.
5. When it serve put the rice semolina soup in the boll plate add coriander, celary white pepper and shrimp in.

Serve With
Dried Flaked Chillies
Chopped Spring Onions