Congee 粥 - Rice Porridge
My mom used to make congee for my brother and me whenever we had a sore throat because it’s easily digestible. In my opinion, this is the ultimate comfort food.
At the root of it, congee is rice boiled in a large amount of water until it softens and/or breaks down into a gruel or porridge. Congee is eaten primarily as a breakfast food, perfect for a lazy Sunday morning. Just dump rice and water into a pot and boil away.
What I love about congee is the different side dishes, topping and condiments that you can add to suit your taste. There are so many variations and names for this dish, this is just the way I make congee.
Difficulty: Easy
Cook Time: at least 1 ½ hours
Servings: 2 - 3
Ingredients:
½ cup of presoaked white rice
3 cups of water to start, more if you want your congee to be thinner
~12 inches of spare ribs, sectioned into individual ribs
Sliced ginger - as much as you want, this will help flavor the congee
3 smashed garlic cloves or as much as you want, this will help flavor the congee
Salt - optional
Toppings and Condiments:
Chopped green onions
Pidan - Thousand-year-old egg
Pork Sung - shredded dry pork jerky
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
White pepper
Raw egg
Salted goose egg
Youtiao - Chinese fried doughnut
Salted fish
Zha cai - pickled mustard plant
Directions:
1. Pre-soak your rice, this will help the rice expand and yield a smoother texture.
2. Place the sectioned spare ribs, sliced ginger, smashed garlic, pre-soaked rice and water into a pot and start boiling.
3. As it starts boiling, skim off the top to get rid of impurities.
4. Once it reaches a healthy boil, turn the heat to low and simmer uncovered for at least 1 ½ hours. If it’s too thick, add more water, too thin, boil for a little while longer. The longer you boil, the more the rice will break down.
5. Ladle into serving bowls and add your favorite toppings and condiments.
Notes:
It is customary to place all the condiments at the table for individuals to add the condiments to his/her tastes.
If you want, you can lightly salt the spare ribs beforehand.
You can use leftover rice to make congee, that will significantly cut your cooking time. :)
In Asia, congee is a popular baby food, HOWEVER, the cooking time is much longer and the congee is not seasoned at all.