Congee, also known as Jook, is traditionally made by cooking 1 cup of rice with 10 cups of water over a period of 2-3 hours until you have a gelatinous soup with tiny particles of rice grain. From here, sweet or savory additions can be made to suit your taste and offer support to your body’s health needs. I like to think of it as a recovery soup. My first experience with congee was having it at a road side stand in the Hutong in Beijing, 17 years ago. There was a big steaming pot of white milky looking liquid and then a buffet of greens, mushrooms, chicken, tofu, beans, asian pear, fresh herbs, spices and Chinese herbal ingredients like Goji berries and Chinese dates. I went for the tofu, fresh herbs and soy sauce. Simple, nourishing and delicious. Being home these past few weeks has made me nostalgic for comfort food but also gives me time to teach my daughter and husband, simple wholesome recipes that can be made to suit everyone’s taste buds.
The simplest way to make a savory congee is with four ingredients - 1 cup of rice, 10 cups of water, a tablespoon of salt and a tablespoon of oil. Add salt, rice and oil to large pot over medium heat. Stir rice for a minute until it is well coated by the oil and then add about 5 cups of water. Bring water to a boil and then cover to simmer. Set your timer for 30-minutes, check the simmer, stir the pot and add a cup or two of water. Do this over the course of a 2-3 hours until you have a viscous liquid. That is my basic recipe.
Over the course of the last two decades, I have replaced water with a veggie or bone broth. You can take the salt down a notch, assuming the broth has plenty, but it’s all up to you. Using a broth will offer more nourishment and flavor, but honestly, the topping ingredients you use at the end can support your flavor. Congee is simple and doesn’t need much, like a good bowl of rice, it sometimes just needs a bit of butter and salt. It is ideal for the young and old, those suffering from exhaustion or overwork, post-partum mothers, cancer patients and those recovering from the flu. A perfect soup for times like these.
Here are my recommendations for making a savory congee the whole family will enjoy.
Use one cup of your favorite rice, congee is traditionally made with white rice, but brown will work too. Choose 10 cups of your preferred liquid (water or broth) , oil and salt. Make the base as described above, it is really quite easy and since we are all spending a lot of time at home, it’s not so much of a bother. While the congee is cooking, you can prep your toppings. I really like shiitakes sautéed with ginger and garlic, fresh scallions and cilantro. Sometimes I will grab a bunch of vegetables and sauté them and throw them in. With congee there is no right or wrong, add tofu, chicken, hot sauce, egg, beans, greens. Let your congee experience be a healthy and healing smorgasbord.
One final note, if your are making a congee with fruit, use water as your base and just a pinch of salt. Warm congee for breakfast with poached pears, apples, blueberries, cinnamon and walnuts can also be a nice way to start the day!