HOW TO MAKE BASIC RICE CONGEE
1. Wash the rice
The Chinese always wash the rice, regardless the packaging. The Japanese is even more fastidious about washing rice. Use a big pot or plastic bowl. Add water to rice, stir the rice and water vigorously. Rub the rice grains using the palms of your hands. The water should be murky by now. Pour the water away. Repeat the washing until water is clear. Do not throw the starchy rice water away; use them to water your plants. Let the rice grains stand in the clear water for about 15 minutes to absorb.
2. How much water?
It all depends on the consistency you want to achieve. I like my congee to be thick thick while others like it of medium consistency. There are basically 3 consistencies and it corresponds to the rice-water ratio.
Thick : 1 cup rice to 8 cups water
Medium : 1 cup rice to 10 cups water
Thin : 1 cup rice to 13 cups water
This ratio is for cooking porridge over the stove top where more evaporation takes place. Reduce slightly for a slow-cooking crockpot or rice cooker.
3. Stovetop cooking
Add the water and uncooked washed rice grains to a pot. Bring the cold water and rice to a boil before lowering the heat to a simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking together or to the bottom of the pot. Stirring is important because rice grains, being much heavier than water, will inadvertently settle to the bottom, stick to the pot and burn. Some cooks like to add 2 metal spoons to the pot to prevent burning, as the spoons become agitated by the bubbling and do the “stirring” for us.
To achieve the Cantonese congee creamy consistency, the rice must be at a cooking for at least 45 minutes to allow the grains to breakdown completely.
4. Seasoning the congee
A good basic congee is seasoned with a little salt, Chinese chicken powder and white pepper, as the ingredients you add later have plenty of seasoning on their own.
CONGEE GARNISH LIST
To brighten up the plain congee, you must have some or all of these garnishes and sauces to add to your bowl to bring it to life.
Few drops of Chinese sesame oil
light soy sauce
oyster sauce
green spring onions
fresh coriander
fresh young ginger, sliced and shredded
very thin
fresh and dried chillies
peanuts
Softened shiitake mushrooms
Fried wonton skins (Chinese shops)
Chinese congee pickles (Chinese
shops)
Dried fried shallots (Chinese shops)
PORK BONE CONGEE
The method for cooking jook with raw meats is slightly different, as you need to boil the bones first to remove excess blood and seal the flavours inside the bone.
Serves 6
1 kg pork meaty bones, washed
2 teaspoon salt
1 cup long grain rice
water to cover the bones in the pot
8-10 cups of water (for rice), more if
needed
1 cup thinly sliced onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
1. Rub the pork bones with 1 teaspoon salt, getting deep into the bone
2. Bring water to the boil, add pork bones and boil for at least 5 minutes until they change colour
3. Strain and carefully rinse the bones in cold water. Wash and clean the pot, dispose of waste water
4. Put the pot back on the stove with the 8-10 cups cold water, the pork bones, rice, ginger, onions and sesame oil
5. Simmer for an additional 45 mins to 1 hour. Stir occasionally, and add extra hot water, if it gets too thick
6. Serve in a bowl with choice of garnishes
MY DAD’S CHICKEN & GARLIC CONGEE
This is the jook I make when I feel a bit sick as the garlic and chicken bones provide healing medicine to help me recover faster, and its easy to eat when you’re not so hungry. It also uses the chicken skin, gingko nuts and Chinese chicken powder for added flavor (available at Chinese shops
Serves 6
10 cups water
1 whole chicken no. 15 or 1.5kg of
chicken wings, legs or thigh bone,
rinsed skin-on
1 cup long grain white rice
6-8 cloves fresh garlic, lightly
squashed
2 teaspoons salt, more if needed
1 teaspoon Knorrs Chinese chicken
powder
1 cup soaked yellow gingko nuts
Pinch freshly ground white pepper
1. Bring water to the boil, add the whole chicken or chopped bone meat, boil for at least 8-10 minutes until they change colour
3. Strain and carefully rinse the chicken in cold water (making sure you rinse inside the cavity too). Wash and clean the pot, dispose of waste water
4. Put the pot back on the stove with the 10 cups cold water, the chicken, rice, ginger, salt and chicken powder.
5. Simmer for an additional 45 mins to 1 hour. Stir occasionally, and add extra hot water, if it gets too thick. Cook until the rich thickens and the whole chicken begins to break up or bone pieces are well cooked
6. Serve in a bowl with choice of garnishes
