Congee and Rice Porridge
Cooking Skills: Rice 2
Chapter 3 · Congee and Rice Porridge
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The basics
Congee is rice porridge, eaten across Asia for breakfast, as comfort food when you're ill and as a late-night supper. It's cheap, forgiving and very easy to digest. It's also a lesson in what rice does when you stop trying to keep the grains whole.
The method is nothing more than a little rice, a lot of water and a long time. The rice-to-water ratio decides how thick it is, and it keeps thickening as it cools.
| Rice : water (volume) | Result | Cooking time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 : 6 | Thick, closer to a risotto | About 45 minutes |
| 1 : 8 | Creamy, spoonable porridge | About 60 minutes |
| 1 : 10 to 1 : 12 | Thin, silky, drinkable | 75 to 90 minutes |
- Use a heavy pan with a lid you can set ajar. Congee catches on thin pans.
- Stir from the bottom every 10 minutes or so. Constant stirring isn't needed.
- Season at the end. Plain congee is mild, and it's the toppings that make it.
- Keep boiling water handy. Congee thickens as it stands, so loosen it with boiling water, not cold.
Try it
Basic congee
Congee (jook in Cantonese) is rice boiled with a lot of water until the grains burst and it becomes a soft, creamy porridge. It's the opposite of fluffy rice: here you want the rice to break down. Eat it plain to start, and see what you've made before adding anything.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 50 g jasmine or long-grain white rice
- 700 ml water
- ½ tsp salt
- Rinse the rice, drain it and put it in a medium, heavy pan with the water and salt. Bring to the boil, uncovered.
- Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer, and set the lid ajar. Cook for 60 to 75 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so and scraping the bottom, until the grains have burst and the porridge is thick and creamy.
- If it gets too thick, stir in a splash of boiling water from the kettle. Taste and add a little more salt if needed.
Ginger and spring onion congee
The classic seasoning for congee. Ginger is simmered with the rice from the start, so its warmth runs right through, and the sharp toppings go on at the end.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 1 batch batch of basic congee (above), hot
- 3 thin slices of fresh ginger, added at the start
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp reduced-salt soy sauce
- ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 pinch white pepper
- Make the basic congee, adding the ginger slices to the pan with the water at the start.
- When the congee is ready, fish out and discard the ginger. Ladle it into two bowls.
- Top each with spring onion, a few drops of soy sauce and sesame oil, and a pinch of white pepper.
Chicken congee
Thin slices of chicken cook in the hot congee in a few minutes, and the cornflour coating keeps them tender.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 50 g jasmine or long-grain white rice
- 600 ml water
- 150 ml reduced-salt chicken stock
- 120 g chicken breast or boneless thigh, sliced as thinly as you can
- 1 tsp reduced-salt soy sauce
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 3 thin slices of fresh ginger
- 1 spring onion, sliced
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander
- ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
- Mix the chicken with the soy sauce and cornflour and leave to marinate while the congee cooks.
- Cook the rice with the water, stock and ginger as for the basic congee, for 60 to 75 minutes.
- Bring the congee to a gentle simmer. Stir in the chicken, a piece at a time so they don't clump, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until no pink remains in any piece.
- Serve in bowls with the spring onion, coriander and sesame oil.
Egg and greens congee
A soft-boiled egg melts into the congee like a sauce, and greens wilt in the heat. A complete, light meal.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 1 batch batch of basic congee, hot
- 2 medium eggs, each boiled for 6 minutes, peeled and halved
- 150 g pak choi or spinach, chopped
- 1 tsp reduced-salt soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 spring onion, sliced
- Make the basic congee. For the last 3 minutes, stir in the pak choi or spinach until it wilts.
- Boil the eggs for 6 minutes, cool under cold water, peel and halve.
- Ladle the congee into two bowls, top each with an egg, soy sauce, sesame seeds and spring onion.
Experiments
Three thicknesses
Find the ratio you like best.
- Cook three small pans, each with 30 g of rinsed rice and with 180 ml, 240 ml and 300 ml of water (about 1 : 6, 1 : 8 and 1 : 10).
- Cook all for about an hour, topping up with boiling water if the pan looks dry.
- Taste, and compare how much each thickens when it cools.
Look for: The thinnest is silky and light, the thickest is closer to a risotto. Your favourite is the one you'll make.
Stirred or left alone
How much does stirring change the congee?
- Make two small pans. Stir one every 10 minutes and the other not at all until the end.
- Compare the texture and what has stuck to the bottom.
Look for: The unstirred pan may have a thick bottom layer and watery top, the stirred pan is more even and creamier.
Toppings early or late
When should the flavours go in?
- Make two basic congees. In one, add the ginger and spring onion at the start. In the other, add them only when serving.
- Taste both.
Look for: Early additions give a mellow, infused flavour, late additions are sharp and fresh. Try combining both, as in the ginger congee.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic congee | ||||
| Ginger and spring onion | ||||
| Chicken congee | ||||
| Egg and greens | ||||
| Three thicknesses | ||||
| Stirred vs unstirred | ||||
| Toppings early vs late |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Congee is watery with whole grains | Not cooked long enough, or the heat was too high | Keep cooking at a gentle simmer until the grains burst |
| Congee is too thick or like paste | Too little water, or it stood and thickened | Stir in boiling water to loosen it |
| Burnt layer on the bottom | Not stirred, or heat too high | Lower the heat, use a heavy pan and stir the bottom regularly; don't scrape the burnt part in |
| Bland | Not enough salt or toppings | Season at the end and add soy, ginger, white pepper and sesame oil |
| Boils over | Lid fully on, or heat too high | Lid ajar, gentle simmer, bigger pan |
- I can make congee at the thickness I like.
- I know why it needs a long, gentle cook.
- I can add flavour at the right moments.
- I can cook thin slices of chicken in it safely.
- I can cool and reheat it safely.