FREEZING the rice ahead of time: wash the rice, drain, and put the washed rice in a zip-loc bag (or freezer-safe container). Because of this, ingredients with intense flavors must be used for the slow-cooked congee method, and they must be able to sustain long periods of cooking. With a pair of chopsticks or a fork, stir in one direction until well combined. Another big differentiator between congee and other types of porridge is that Chinese have incorporated their traditional medicine and herbs into their congee recipes for more than 2,500 years! Otherwise, it needs to be boiled on a stove top for many hours to make the rice very soft and break apart. However, it never hurts to repeat, and here’s a quick summary: The advanced congee cooking techniques introduced here are not by any means more difficult than the basic cooking methods. At the same time, they are a manifestation of Cantonese people’s attitudes toward food: the details are what really matter in culinary art. Salted vegetables and diced radish are added as ingredients. While we highly suggest putting the seasonings and condiments into the cooker together with uncooked rice, we do not recommend putting other ingredients such as fish, pork or chicken in there. BREAKING NEWS!!! The extremely exciting technique I’m revealing in this post will cut the usual congee cooking time by at least two thirds, if not more. Using the slow-cooked method ensures that the rice is soft; the congee itself becomes very smooth, and the other ingredients are thoroughly cooked, their flavors absorbed by the congee. To make japonica rice congee, we recommend 1 cup of rice to 12 cups of water. Congee is an easy-to-make comfort food beloved in China and across Asia. Congee is usually made by boiling rice in a lot of water for a very long time. Another popular household solution is to make congee with cooked rice, which we’ll talk about in further detail below at #6 How to Make Congee with Cooked Rice. Don’t prepare this ahead of time, as we want the flavor of freshly cut ginger. Porridge is very fast to make, and is ready within 10 minutes on … It is a manifestation of Cantonese people’s epicurean taste in food. Marinate the pork with the cornstarch, oyster sauce, and vegetable oil for about 15 to 20 minutes. Cantonese congee, or what we call Hong Kong style congee and jook in some countries, is an especially thick and flavorful version of Chinese porridge. Stir occasionally so that the rice doesn't clump or stick at the bottom. In this complete guide, we’ll introduce some basic congee cooking techniques and three advanced level techniques with some extra tips on your frequently asked questions such as water to rice ratio and types of rice. I’m not talking about using an Instant Pot or pressure cooker either. In a medium pot, bring 7 cups of water to a boil. Note: This recipe was originally published on October 17, 2016. We also dive further into this topic in our Congee with Chinese Medicine and Herbs section, alongside 12 recipes. This is one of the most frequently asked questions for congee beginners. The truth is congee made with rice is a major part of the whole congee family, but there are many other types of congee made with different kinds of grain such as millet, beans, corn, oats, and Job’s tears. 6. Sprinkle in the salt and stir. The other myth is that congee is all savory while porridge can be sweet. “I am proud to say that your genealogy has been the sole tutorial for my Asian-inspired culinary adventures for years; probably since you began. Gruel, mush, grits, cream of wheat, and oatmeal — they’re all names for porridge. A scene from Fear Factor comes to mind: a poor girl asked to eat a thousand year-old egg, gagging with tears in her eyes. Serve piping hot with chopped. How can they forget to make sweet and fruity congee? Congee is a classic Chinese porridge made from rice, usually served for breakfast or at dim sum. Finally, stir in the white pepper and salt to taste. thank you stan mashek. After 15 minutes, it’s time to add the julienned ginger, pork, and thousand year-old egg. Take care to ensure that the heat is constant. It’s important to stir from the bottom to prevent sticking, as the rice texture thickens quickly. It’s been written about as a silky, comforting food from China that is packed with flavors and treasured ingredients. Classic Teochew clay pot congee dishes include sliced grass carp fish congee in clay pot, pork bone congee in clay pot, prawn clay pot congee, and crab clay pot congee. Simmer gently for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until the grains have burst open and you have a thick Cook the rice in the broth. This exciting technique cuts the usual congee cooking time in half or more! Then leave it in the freezer for at least 8 hours. Time and again, my worldwide web pursuits for solid recipes that I know my family will eat has landed me back here.”. 5 years ago | 47 views. Common types of congee that make use of the sheng gun cooking method are traditional beef congee, pork and shiitake mushroom congee, Mandarin fish congee, chicken thigh congee, and squid congee. So listen to this, my cousin in Shanghai knows that we have a food blog. The ratio of the broth to the rice and the length of time you cook it will determine its consistency and texture. Add the frozen rice (no need to defrost) and bring it to a boil again, stirring the rice to prevent sticking. If you haven't tried it, you're missing out. In China, though, there's an entirely different expectation when it comes to the morning meal. Add any ingredients and seasoning throughout the process and stew them together. In our article How to Make a Good Cantonese Congee Base, we also dive deeper into the different levels of heat and what each entails. Cook until the rice grains are smooth and soft. First, rinse the rice in water a few times to wash away extra starch which could make the congee too thick and starchy. Meanwhile, in a medium pot, bring 7 cups of water to a boil. Stir and simmer for another 5 minutes or so. In major cities, people often eat breakfast on the go, getting their food from street vendors selling dishes ranging from c… If you do not have this setting available, press “Cook/Start” button, and come back and check on it after about 45 minutes. Give the rice a good stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking, then lower the heat and half-cover the pan. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, and cover and cook for about 15 minutes. By now, you should have a deeper understanding of Cantonese congee itself as well as the basic and advanced cooking techniques involved. The ratio of the broth to the rice and the length of time you cook it will determine its consistency and texture. However, you may find this ratio to be undesirable to your liking or your specific rice cooker model, try a slightly different ratio and experiment a little bit. It’s a dish Chinese can eat endlessly without getting tired of. Yet, we find Jasmine and other long-grain rice to be quite competent substitutes. They are flavorful and are known for the insane number of varieties. However, you can add up to 13 cups of water to 1 cup of rice if you are looking for thinner rice porridge. While congee is usually made on the stovetop, it can also be made in a slow cooker or rice cooker. There are four main tips when it comes to making congee fast: Pre-soak the rice; Make a congee base; Use warm or hot water; Make congee with cooked rice; We usually instruct our readers to soak the rice grains for at least 2 hours or more. Carefully pour the broth and water into the pot. So, if you are one of our congee recipe fans, this shouldn’t be something you need to worry about. Add century eggs and continue cooking for 5 minutes over slow fire. There are many different ways of preparing congee nowadays. Congee refers explicitly to Cantonese porridge originated from Guangdong or Hong Kong, China. Congee is one of my go-to food when I’m busy. I make a two-ingredient porridge (Recipe: Super simple pumpkin porridge), substitute rice with oats (Recipe: Oatmeal congee with goji berries) and even keep packets of frozen rice in the freezer (Recipe: Congee in ziplock bag).Naturally, I always find interesting ways to make this dish healthier. Make sure you pour in any extra grease or sauce from the dishes as they add tons of flavor to your congee. While smoothness refers to the fine texture of the rice grains, creaminess in congee refers to having silky-textured congee full of lingering flavors. Once in a while, she’ll send me information or dishes that might interest me. I don’t know how it earned this name, inspiring equal parts terror and horror. BREAKING NEWS!!! Congee is not just a dish to Chinese people; it embodies the profound and complex culinary culture that they cultivated through thousands of years of experimentation and testing. Many types of congee are cooked with the slow-cooked method, such as pork bone and dried cabbage congee, watercress and gizzard congee, and scallop and gingko congee; all of which are popular congee dishes in Guangdong and Hong Kong. In order to make the best plain congee, texture is key. A special clay pot is used for Teochew clay pot congee, within which uncooked rice is cooked over an open flame. Based on the mere variety of recipes and cooking techniques, congee can probably stand alone as its own culinary branch among other regional cuisines. Rice cooker: Dump all ingredients (except garnishes) into rice cooker, turn it on and stir occasionally, until congee is smooth TheWoksofLife.com is written and produced for informational purposes only. For you daredevils, thrill seekers, and Andrew Zimmern types, give this recipe a try with the thousand year old egg. Though more time-consuming, stewing is almost a guaranteed method to ensure that your congee is fine and smooth as this gives the rice grains enough time to break down. Since ancient times, congee has been beloved by Chinese people. And for people who grew up eating this congee, nostalgic for authentic Cantonese flavors, this one is a big welcome home with minimal effort, from me to you! Teochew congee is divided between plain congee and savory congee. While that’s cooking, dice the thousand year-old egg and set it aside. It’s not one specific dish, but a plethora of hundreds of combinations of ingredients complemented by different unique cooking methods. This is also called “pao fan” (泡饭) in other provinces and Korea. We do not recommend reducing the water content further by too much. This ensures that the ingredients are fresh and tender, and the flavors are meld into the congee base. You can make it in a household pressure cooker, an electric rice cooker, an instant pot, or even a microwave. My conclusion was that the congee did not cook to the right consistency in 15 minutes, but 20 minutes was the perfect amount of time to reach the texture you see in our pictures. Continue simmering for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Leave it in the freezer for at least 8 hours. Periodically check and stir the congee. The sheng gun method of cooking congee is unique to the city of Guangzhou and surrounding towns near Guangzhou. The science behind it is that the moisture in the rice freezes, expands, and breaks the rice kernel into tiny pieces to dramatically reduce necessary cooking time. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used. Also check out our other congee recipes, including our Seafood Congee, Pork Bone Congee, and Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Congee! Breakfast set for under $10 it's affordable and taste great. Besides, making congee with cooked rice is a lot faster as well. Ie congee, soy sauce egg noodles, steamed noodles with peanut and hoi sin sauce. Stir and simmer for another 5 minutes or so. 10-Minute Korean Crispy Pork Belly Kimchi Bowls. But we really prefer to soak the rice in fresh water for 5 or 6 hours then add to the pot. Another favorite variation is to make congee with chicken or turkey wings and ginger. The only thing when it comes to rice cooker congee is the water to rice ratio, and this is a very tricky question as different people have very different preferences when it comes to thickness, and different rice cookers vary as well. Normally we recommend 7-8 cups of water per cup of uncooked rice for Cantonese congee, and add about 2 cups of water on top of that if you merely want some less dense rice porridge. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. Examples of soaked congee dishes include shredded oyster congee and shredded abalone congee. Cover with cling wrap. In our Congee section, we usually indicate the specific amount of water and rice ratio for each of our recipes. Enjoy! While these modern methods rarely achieve the smoothness and creaminess of traditional Cantonese congee, they are incredibly convenient and serve as shortcuts when the cravings come. Porridge is food made by boiling starchy grains in water or milk, plain or with added flavor. But we really prefer to soak the rice in fresh water for 5 or 6 hours then add to the pot. I’m not talking about using an Instant Pot or pressure cooker either. Mild, but revelatory, congee is full of flavors that slowly mesmerize you into an indescribable experience that you won’t be able to forget. For those of you who grew up with mom or grandmother’s Cantonese congee, you are probably already well-aware of this. It's nearly always savory, and it often features strong flavors that don't show up in American breakfasts. Growing up, I was familiar with cream of wheat and oatmeal. This does reduce the overall cooking time, though not by much. Another little tip is that if you have some leftover Chinese food, you can also add them in! You can make delicious congee with slow-cooked flavor––from scratch––in 20 minutes. Site Map