I like to make simple congee - literally just water and rice - at least once a week.

Occasionally it'll come out absolutely divine. I’m talking super fragrant, creamy, 10/10 food crafted by the gods themselves.

The thing is, I’m never able to replicate it. Not even if my life depended on it. I've experimented with changing up the cooking times, rice/water ratios, brands/varieties of rice, etc but was never able to pin down the source of the deliciousness.

My theory is that the rice has to be cooked long enough to break down and release its starches but as usual I am unable to recreate that 10/10 congee. Any congee masters out there want to share their secret?