Erik and I used to have congee, which some call porridge or 'juk', for breakfast when living in Hong Kong. It is one of the staple foods for Chinese people and there are so many different ways to make congee and so many variations. But the best are the ones that have the simplest ingredients and those that we can find in the eateries that lined the inner city streets in Kowloon and Hong Kong where all the locals frequent. The ingredients to make congee are easily available; but being able to make congee that has the right texture and consistency is almost like an impossible achievement! Over the years, I finally learned to make congee that has the right consistency and texture, just like the ones we used to have in Hong Kong. You might still have to adjust the amount of water if you prefer thicker or thinner versions, but the texture will still be the same if you use the right combination of rice.
Utensils needed:-
Knife
Measuring cups & jug
Measuring spoons
Bowls
Large stainless steel pot
A wooden ladle
Ingredients:-
2 large pieces of skinless and boneless chicken thighs
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (optional)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon iodized sea salt
Dash of freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon cornstach
1/2 cup fresh ginger julienne
1/3 cup glutinous rice (sweet rice)
1/4 + 1/3 cups Jasmine rice or long grained rice or sushi rice (Note: if using sushi rice, you will need 3 litres of cold water instead of 2)
2 litres filtered cold water
Two stalks of spring onions (washed and diced) for garnish
Method:-
1. Measure and place Jasmine rice and glutinous rice in a bowl and rinse once or twice to remove dust and grits if any, then place them into the stainless steel pot.
2. Fill the measuring jug with 2 litres of filtered cold water and pour into the pot. (Measure 3 litres of filtered cold water instead of 2 if using sushi rice).
3. Scrape off the skin on the ginger and julienne. Add ginger julienne to the pot.
4. Place pot with rice, ginger and water on the stove and turn the heat on to high. Bring to a rapid boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer. You might have to watch the pot to prevent boiling over if your pot is not tall enough to hold the contents.
5. Stir to loosen rice from the bottom of the pot with a ladle once the heat has been turn down to low, do this to prevent rice from sticking and burning. Let rice simmer and give it a stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Simmer until all rice grains are fragmented and disintegrated and the mixture thickens to become viscous, congee state.
6. While rice is simmering, rinse the chicken meat and cut into bite size chunks, approximately an inch cube and place in a bowl.
7. Add rice wine, sesame oil, sea salt, white pepper and cornstarch to chicken. Mix thoroughly, cover bowl with a plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge until congee is in the right viscosity.
8. When congee reaches the right viscosity, add chicken to the congee and wait until congee comes to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. (Do not turn up heat when bringing to a boil). To test if the chicken is cooked, pierce one piece with a fork and the meat juice should run clear.
9. Turn off heat once chicken is cooked. Ladle into a serving bowl, garnish with spring onion and serve.
*Note: Do not eat foods that are too hot to prevent burning your mouths - patience is important when eating congee! Enjoy!
It makes 8-10 bowls of congee, depending on the size of your bowls. Boiling time is about one hour.
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