Silky, Savory Chinese Rice Porridge (Congee) 

Thank you! We always have to wade through the….. “If it’s not how I (or my family) do it, it isn’t right/authentic/original/traditional!! 🤣🤣🤣 As another food channel host says, “There ain’t no right way and there ain’t no wrong way, there is your way”.

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He had it right up until the end. and yes I made congee last night so I did go home and make some and I'm complaining this recipe would be like calling PF changs chinese food

Im very very new at making congee is it bad to start from cooked plain rice also single 4cups is alot for me 😢

​@@guppy0536 Congee is actually a great way to use up leftover rice! Next time you have a little leftover rice you should try making it into a light breakfast/lunch the next day. Last week my bf was sick and had bad nausea. I used some leftover white rice, chicken flavored Better Than Bouillon, the tiniest bit of grated ginger, a dash of white pepper powder, and frozen peas to make a simple congee. It was basically the only thing he could keep down. I topped my own bowl with a fried egg, chili oil, and cilantro. I don't have a recipe, but for congee made with leftover rice, start with about twice as much liquid as you have rice. You can always add more liquid later if you like it thinner. Basically: - saute aromatics in a little oil - add 1 cup leftover cooked white rice - add 2 cups water/stock - bring to boil, then back down to simmer for ~20 minutes - stir occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick/burn on the bottom We like broken up, thicker congee so towards the end, I cranked the heat and stirred with a whisk to break up the grains and reduce. Once you get down the basics, you can play around with other seasonings/add-ins. Top with whatever you like! I hope this was helpful!

Right!!

Lan Lam's video about microwave literally changed my life. l've been microwaving literally everything.

I just can't think of any reason to do it in the micro instead of on a saucepan or something. Seems like unnecessary complication with all the opening and closing the microwave when it could be on the stove ready to be stirred and always visible.

that's a chinese household secret, don't give it away 🤫

@@umamizaddy It's also a Vietnamese household secret lol.

😂 ​@@umamizaddy

I literally came here for this comment. I am trying to make filipino arroz caldo and have been thinking about the correct rice ratio to bring me back to childhood

Cool idea! I am guessing there is no need to wash the rice as the toasting would reduce the amount of free starch anyway.

I am going to try this method definitely

Yes!!!!👏

So what culture is "jook" from? First time I've ever heard of it.

@@scottboettcher1344China. Jook=congee

You'd probably get some disagreement, but I think it's safe to say it's 'Pan-Asian'. They serve it at some dim sum restaurants, although I've never had any there that's good. @@scottboettcher1344

I did a roast duck congee for Thanksgiving a few years ago also. That thing disappeared...

Years ago I was going through chemo, had no appetite and everything gave me a sour stomach feeling. The Korean nurse on duty went to the kitchen and made a chicken Juk for me. I wound up eating two bowls. I too think it is what helped me recover. I still make it myself with lots of variations.

@@mikepellerin4611 I’m going to have to have my SIL teach me how to make the type she made, it is a little different from this version.

@@capers72424 Yep, depends on what ethnicity your SIL comes from, it will vary from other ethnic groups a bit.

Gonna go look at my rice cooker now

My Zojirushi does. I've made it on the stove top and it is pretty tedious but the rice cooker is just set and forget. You can just get it started and go about the other things you need to do in the morning and pretty soon it plays the music and your congee is ready.

I haven’t quite got the rice/water ratio right for the congee setting. I think I’ll just keep adding less rice and more water!

Good suggestions I speak Cantonese too.

Sliced ginger is a common topping, but it needs to be heated slightly with the congee so it softens.

I agree, Century eggs are really delicious!

@@Pammellam Just make sure the century eggs are fresh.

@@RaymondHng 😂🤣😂...cause nothing s worse than expired CENTURY egg.

@@doodahgurlie We call them Thousand Year Old Eggs.

Absolutely. One way to make either grits or congee that is nice for breakfast is to toss on come drained, crumbled bacon with a couple of jammy eggs and minced fried onions and garlic. It gives a really delicious breakfast vibe.

He’d get it if that’s what you’re asking

Steaming the eggs is the way

Absolutely plain congee & chicken (cook rice in unsalted water and add chopped/diced plain boiled chicken breast with no skin or bones) is great for a dog who has an upset tummy. Just a few tablespoons at first and then more later when that stays down. My dog LOVES chicken and rice. Many of the tasty additions that we love (e.g. onions, garlic, salty things, oily things) are bad for dogs, but some sliced boiled green beans, some plain cooked pumpkin or plain cooked sweet potato would be fine once they're feeling better.

Can you explain further? Do you soak the rice in water and for how long? Do you then drain the water before adding the oil? How much oil? Do you boil the frozen oiled rice or do you let it thaw first?

@@liuj88 You don’t have to freeze the rice; it just speeds things up a bit, making it more foolproof. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2sQjr77FAWU.html 1. Wash the rice, then drain it. Preferably use short grain or a mixture of long grain for fragrance and short grain (or even glutinous rice) for texture. 2. (Optional) Add some sesame oil or a flavorless oil to coat the rice. Try not to use canola oil as it has a fishy taste that will come through in this type of dish with simple ingredients. 3. (Optional) Wait 15 minutes to 2 hours to the rice to soak up the liquid 4. Freeze in a freezer-safe container for 90 minutes (or however long it takes to freeze all the way through), to overnight, or longer until you need to use it. Rice to water ratio is important, you will have to test it out, there are some recipes that would specify the texture differences for each ratio:
whattocooktoday.com/how-to-make-rice-porridge.html The small amount of water from washing the rice is enough to break up the rice structure during freezing. There are some Teochew style congee videos on RU-vid as well for flavor inspirations:
 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NAwhToBucLw.html - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ryZyZCM-pao.html This is the congee hot pot, it has no subtitle, but I think you will get the gist from the video @2:09:
 This video uses the technique as well, and you will see the oil add as well. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xovCH0qKnH4.htmlsi=dLvz82NhW81eFKgj&t=129

You can also just run it at high pressure for 30 minutes, that's how I usually do it. I also like to tie up a cheese cloth satchet with some spices like star anise and sichuan peppercorns in the cooker.

Agreed. I use low-sodium or salt-free chicken broth (to prevent it from becoming too salty while cooking down) instead of plain water when boiling the rice. Then at the end I top with shredded chicken, thinly sliced scallions, sliced pickled garlic, a few drops of toasted sesame oil, a few drops of shoyu, and a chopped boiled egg (or slivers of a plain omelet.) Minced raw coriander is good, too (if you don't mind that infamous cilantro flavor.) Pickled ginger is nice in small quantities (it is STRONG.) Soaked dried shitake mushrooms, slivered with the stems removed, is positively medicinal -- and magical. Preparing them is a little tricky, but once you learn how (e.g. how to not transfer any grit into your meal, how to remove the very hard stem, etc.) then they are delicious. Minced celery greens (tops) can stand in for or join the sliced scallions or fresh coriander. Soooooooo good.

HINT ! DON'T read them !

Shallots pack a bigger punch despite the smaller size

Yes you can fry crispy onions.

The added toppings can add protein and even a bit of fiber to help even out that sugar spike and make the meal last longer. Even the type of broth used can add extra protein if you've made it from bones!

You can try making this with millet or mixing in some brown rice, that’s what my mum does.

Kinda depends. I wouldn’t skimp on the oil because you want an even fry, otherwise some of the shallots will be golden when the bottom lot are sufficiently browned. I think this microwave method is a lot easier to control as you go in time intervals and always keep a close eye on it. If you’re an experienced cook with a good pan that doesn’t have hotspots then I don’t see why you also couldn’t do it that way (I don’t have a microwave at home so I would do it in a pan), but it won’t be faster and the risk of burning is probably higher. Just getting the water out of the shallots will take a while in a pan.

@@fabe61 agreed that Microwave easier to control but you're checking every minute to 30 seconds stirring and reheating. That's arduous. You put on pan at a certain heat setting and as they brown lower the heat setting and stir occasionally. Simpler.

Please give more detailed instructions😅. Can't help it, I'm a perfectionist and I gotta have details. It's a miserable life but it's mine.

Just gonna have to be courageous and wing it I think. @@terebrown2892

Ahhhh. That involves planning ahead. I find the need for congee strikes me when I least expect it. Ha-ha!

What do you mean no one would cook it this way? Millions, billions cook it like this. Good shortcut but strange way of putting it.

​@jeanvignes dont know if could use left over plain rice to sart with

Wild? The very simple concept that many people have no frame of reference for a particular dish so need a little more guidance than "just cook it till it seems right" is hard for you to grasp? How could someone whose never tasted a dish possibly intuit what ratios of ingredients or spices are appropriate?

No, it's savory and dairy-free, as the video shows.

Viets enter the chat with their bottle of fish sauce...LOL! Jokes aside, soy sauce isn't used that much in Vietnamese cuisine and we re next door to the Chinese.

It’s all rice porridge whether you want to call it Lugaw, Goto, or Arroz Caldo. Dress it anyway you want.

The title said Chinese.

He mentioned the century eggs in the video, but he probably figures a jammy egg is more doable for viewers.

How long did you leave it? That sounds more like you left it so long it fermented and separated.

The water on the surface evaporates, which creates osmotic pressure that draws the water from the interior of the grain out, which then, itself, evaporates in a cycle. Once the walls of the grain are compromised by cooking, they can no longer prevent this drying process from occurring like raw grains can.

A lot of recipes call for a gentle simmer, so they're just letting you know to simmer just under the boiling point rather than with just a few bubbles rolling about.

@@VeretenoVids A few bubbles rolling about is not a simmer, according to the dictionary definition of simmer. If it is bubbling, that is a boil.

@@allredtail Interesting. The cookbooks I have that say that must be mistaken then. 🤷‍♀

Thanks for judging and shaming me oh one who has never been wrong. Happy New Year!

⁠ Thanks, Karen. You’re always around when people need to hear your nonsense. Tchau!