Congee

Name: Congee
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 150 g (¾ cup) jasmine rice; 1 tsp neutral oil; 2 l (8½ cups) water or chicken stock, Chicken Stock, or half stock, half water; 30 g (a 5 cm piece) fresh ginger, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks; 5 g (¾ tsp) fine sea salt, or to taste; 4 scallions, thinly sliced; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tsp toasted sesame oil; Chili Crisp, to taste; 4 soft-boiled eggs or Ajitama (Ramen Eggs), halved, optional; 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, chopped, optional; cilantro sprigs, optional

Silky rice porridge with ginger, scallions and crisp toppings

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 15 min
Total: 1 h 30 min
Level: Easy

Congee is rice simmered in plenty of water or stock until it breaks down into a smooth, comforting porridge. On its own it's mild by design; the point is the toppings, which bring salt, crunch and heat.

Ingredients

150 gjasmine rice (¾ cup)
1 tspneutral oil
2 lwater or chicken stock (8½ cups)Chicken Stock, or half stock, half water
30 gfresh ginger (a 5 cm piece)peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
5 gfine sea salt (¾ tsp)or to taste

Toppings

4scallionsthinly sliced
2 tbspsoy sauce
2 tsptoasted sesame oil
Chili Crispto taste
4soft-boiled eggs or Ajitama (Ramen Eggs)halved, optional
2 tbsproasted peanutschopped, optional
cilantro sprigsoptional

Diet: Dairy-free
Allergens: soy, gluten, sesame, celery, egg, peanuts, sulphites
Origin: China

Method

Rinse the rice until the water runs nearly clear, then drain well. Toss with the oil and a pinch of the salt; this helps break the grains down.
Bring the water or stock to a boil in a large heavy pot. Add the rice and half the ginger and return to a boil, stirring.
Lower the heat, partially cover the pot and simmer gently for 75 minutes, stirring every 10–15 minutes and scraping the bottom, until the grains have broken down into a thick, silky porridge. 1 h 15 min
If the congee becomes too thick, stir in boiling water. It should flow slowly, like heavy cream.
Season with salt and divide among bowls.
Top with the scallions, the remaining ginger, a drizzle of soy sauce and sesame oil, a spoon of chili crisp, egg halves, peanuts and cilantro.

Why it works

Simmering rice in about 13 times its weight of liquid makes the grains swell until they burst, releasing starch that thickens the liquid into a smooth, creamy texture. Tossing the rinsed rice with oil and salt is a traditional Cantonese step said to help the grains break down. Regular stirring prevents the starchy bottom layer from catching and scorching.

Common mistakes

Not stirring the bottom: the rice sticks and burns.
Underseasoning: congee is designed to be mild, but it still needs salt and well-seasoned toppings.

Variations

Chicken congee: Simmer 2 bone-in chicken thighs in the pot; shred the meat into the congee at the end (cook to 74°C, 165°F).
Fast congee: Freeze the rinsed, drained rice overnight; frozen rice cracks and breaks down in about 40 minutes.

Make ahead and storage

Keeps 3 days in the fridge; it thickens as it cools. Reheat with water.

Notes

Using water and vegetable toppings makes it vegan; chicken stock and eggs make it neither vegan nor vegetarian. Use tamari for gluten-free. Egg and sulphites only from the egg topping, peanut only from the peanuts. For the opposite approach, cold rice fried hard and dry, see Egg Fried Rice.