Heat the oil. Fry the garlic and shallot on very low heat till slightly golden. Then add the sesame seeds and fry them for a few seconds. Next, add the chilli flakes and let the simmer till the oil changes to reddish colour and till the garlic & shallot are golden. Remove into a heat resistant bowl. Once cooled you can transfer to a glass jar

Heat sufficient water in a pan and when it comes to a boil gently slide in the eggs using a spoon or ladle - they should not crack

Let the eggs boil for 5-6 minutes. Then remove them and place them in a bowl of cold water and remove then shell when they are cool enough to handle. Cut the eggs into halves when you are ready to serve

Wash the jasmine rice in 2 changes of water, drain and transfer to a pressure cooker

Add the chopped ginger, carrots, mushrooms, peppercorns, star anise & salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon) and the water and mix everything well

Put the lid and weight (whistle) on and pressure cook on full heat for 4-5 whistles. Turn off the heat

Once the pressure cooker cools down a bit and the weight comes off easily, open the cooker and stir the contents. You can remove the peppercorns blending if you prefer.

Using a stick blender, blend the congee till mushy - you can leave it slightly chunky if you prefer but not too much.

Adjust the consistency of the congee by adding water in 1/2 cup increments as we want it a bit gloopy and soupy and not too thick.

Add the soy sauce and sesame oil and adjust the salt after that as the soy sauce has salt in it.

Simmer gently for a minute then turn off

Ladle the congee into a serving bowl, garnish with the chopped spring onions, chilli oil and soft boiled egg halves and enjoy