Silky, Savory Chinese Rice Porridge (Congee)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ธ.ค. 2023
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Soothing, simple to make, and endlessly versatile, congee should be part of your regular dinner-or breakfast-rotation.
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This is a great beginner recipe to introduce people to congee/zhou. There are a hundred ways to make it, so those complaining in the comments can go home and make some themselves instead of fighting about the "right" way to make congee. Some have it deeply flavored from the beginning, while others have it plain with a few toppings. Some like to keep the grains still whole and plump, while others break up the rice grains by stirring.
Thank you!
We always have to wade through the….. “If it’s not how I (or my family) do it, it isn’t right/authentic/original/traditional!! 🤣🤣🤣
As another food channel host says, “There ain’t no right way and there ain’t no wrong way, there is your way”.
Pin this MF’r
He had it right up until the end.
and yes I made congee last night so I did go home and make some and I'm complaining
this recipe would be like calling PF changs chinese food
Im very very new at making congee is it bad to start from cooked plain rice also single 4cups is alot for me 😢
@@guppy0536 Congee is actually a great way to use up leftover rice! Next time you have a little leftover rice you should try making it into a light breakfast/lunch the next day.
Last week my bf was sick and had bad nausea. I used some leftover white rice, chicken flavored Better Than Bouillon, the tiniest bit of grated ginger, a dash of white pepper powder, and frozen peas to make a simple congee. It was basically the only thing he could keep down. I topped my own bowl with a fried egg, chili oil, and cilantro.
I don't have a recipe, but for congee made with leftover rice, start with about twice as much liquid as you have rice. You can always add more liquid later if you like it thinner. Basically:
- saute aromatics in a little oil
- add 1 cup leftover cooked white rice
- add 2 cups water/stock
- bring to boil, then back down to simmer for ~20 minutes
- stir occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick/burn on the bottom
We like broken up, thicker congee so towards the end, I cranked the heat and stirred with a whisk to break up the grains and reduce. Once you get down the basics, you can play around with other seasonings/add-ins. Top with whatever you like! I hope this was helpful!
The microwave deep frying of the shallots is galaxy-brain
Right!!
Lan Lam's video about microwave literally changed my life. l've been microwaving literally everything.
I think jook/congee is one of the least known/best comfort dishes yet to be fully embraced by western cultures. We served turkey jook at Thanksgiving (mixed cultural family) and it was devoured.
Yes!!!!👏
So what culture is "jook" from? First time I've ever heard of it.
@@scottboettcher1344China. Jook=congee
You'd probably get some disagreement, but I think it's safe to say it's 'Pan-Asian'. They serve it at some dim sum restaurants, although I've never had any there that's good. @@scottboettcher1344
I did a roast duck congee for Thanksgiving a few years ago also. That thing disappeared...
As an added tip when making congee, replace 10 to 15% of the Jasmine Rice with glutinous rice. This adds a very silky texture to the congee.
that's a chinese household secret, don't give it away 🤫
@@umamizaddy It's also a Vietnamese household secret lol.
😂 @@umamizaddy
Maybe this is only something my family does but, my mom would toast the rice in a dry pan until most of them are golden brown. It adds a nice toasty flavor to the congee.
Cool idea! I am guessing there is no need to wash the rice as the toasting would reduce the amount of free starch anyway.
I am going to try this method definitely
My sweet sister-in-law of one year made me rice porridge after a recent surgery, I had never had it before! I’m convinced that is what made me heal so quickly!
Years ago I was going through chemo, had no appetite and everything gave me a sour stomach feeling. The Korean nurse on duty went to the kitchen and made a chicken Juk for me. I wound up eating two bowls. I too think it is what helped me recover. I still make it myself with lots of variations.
@@mikepellerin4611 I’m going to have to have my SIL teach me how to make the type she made, it is a little different from this version.
@@capers72424 Yep, depends on what ethnicity your SIL comes from, it will vary from other ethnic groups a bit.
my mom's trick to make very silky congee is that after rinsing, you mix the rice with salt and about a tablespoon of oil and let it sit for 20 minutes before boiling (we don't simmer). And instead of chicken broth, try dried scallops.
I love congee (chao in Vietnamese). Many people associate it with sick people's food because they were fed the bland version as kids when they were sick. Me, I LOVE it as an adult. It's super comforting and delicious - especially if you add things like chopped green onions, cilantro, boiled egg, fried shallots, homemade chili oil...mmmm! There are so many iterations of it: plain, chicken, pork, fish/seafood, Vietnamese blood sausage (absolutely delish!) with organ meats, etc., then you add different toppings or condiments and you've a different meal for weeks. You can use just jasmine rice or a combo of jasmine and glutinous rice, it can be cooked with less or more water (thicker), rice grains can be cooked less (grains are somewhat intact) or more (it basically becomes a smooth batter), etc.
Cantonese here. Regardless who design this recipe, he or she must love ramen a lot. I would put the soft boiled egg aside and cook the ginger with the jook and eat it cooked or discard it. Ginger cut that thick and eat raw is going to be very bitter.
Good suggestions I speak Cantonese too.
Sliced ginger is a common topping, but it needs to be heated slightly with the congee so it softens.
Some rice cookers include a Rice Gruel (or Okayu おかゆ) setting. Very easy for making Congee rice porridge. It's really nice to have in the Winter.
Gonna go look at my rice cooker now
My Zojirushi does. I've made it on the stove top and it is pretty tedious but the rice cooker is just set and forget. You can just get it started and go about the other things you need to do in the morning and pretty soon it plays the music and your congee is ready.
I haven’t quite got the rice/water ratio right for the congee setting. I think I’ll just keep adding less rice and more water!
Gotta love Dan! Only he could make me watch rice cooking.
Appreciate Dan and Julia being so positive about century eggs! So many Westerners are doing themselves a massive disservice by not giving them a good try!
I agree, Century eggs are really delicious!
@@Pammellam Just make sure the century eggs are fresh.
@@RaymondHng 😂🤣😂...cause nothing s worse than expired CENTURY egg.
@@doodahgurlie We call them Thousand Year Old Eggs.
Ok, those microwaved fried shallots just blew my mind!
I was not expecting microwaved shallots to come out looking like that, that is brilliant. I tried frying them in a pot once and really bunged it up, so I started buying them from a jar at my local Asian supermarket. These look much better, though.
For years I’ve been making MILLET congee. I top it with 1 or 2 fried eggs, a little umeboshi vinegar, sprinkle on about 1/2 tsp of spirulina…yum!
OMG Dan! Congee! How do you keep reading my mind. I have adored congee for decades, ever since my Chinese co-worker told me about it and explained to me that this was her family's equivalent to "Jewish grandma's chicken noodle soup makes everything better". YUM.
How many are here because they find Dan to be extremely cute, handsome, just absolutely wonderful? 😊❤❤❤
He’d get it if that’s what you’re asking
I've switched to steel cut oats for congee. Steaming the eggs in a steamer basket for 6-6½ mins = incredible
Steaming the eggs is the way
This is how my busy mom with five kids made hers, simmered away by itself until it was thickened. There are recipes where one stands in front of the stove for 45 minutes continually adding water as it evaporates and the rice thickens. Some people use day-old rice to quicken the process. Whatever the method, they all result in the same thick rice soup that is ready for its toppings.
Excited to try this !
This makes a fantastic breakfast idea with - well, whatever leftovers one has on hand. Thanks!
Absolutely. One way to make either grits or congee that is nice for breakfast is to toss on come drained, crumbled bacon with a couple of jammy eggs and minced fried onions and garlic. It gives a really delicious breakfast vibe.
I love Congee!!! My mom made it every single week for breakfast in Cantonese is called Jook.
Our new “go to” comfort food lunch. Soooo tasty & creamy. Our dippy egg just melted into the rice, so creamy.
Wow! The best!
Ooooh!!! That looks delicious!!
I was just thinking about making congee then I saw Dan and congee ❤❤
Thank you! Been cooking rice in a very similar way we Indians call Khichdi! You can dump in any thing in there, but we start with some lentils and build it on. I must try those eggs next time and you must try topping it with butter or ghee!
I just use 1/2 to 1 part rice to 8 parts water in an instant pot for 20 minutes then unplug it and let it sit. It's easier than boiling and you don't really have to worry about rinsing. It'll also continue to thicken on sitting so you can have people who like it thick to take theirs first then add a little water and set it to saute to thin it out for everyone else who prefers it more sippable.
I’ve just discovered congee in the last couple of years, and I love it! The creaminess of the rice is wonderfully comforting, and the toppings add exciting pops of flavor and texture. My favorite toppings are jammy eggs, chili & onion crisp (a condiment) and black vinegar.
Absolutely plain congee & chicken (cook rice in unsalted water and add chopped/diced plain boiled chicken breast with no skin or bones) is great for a dog who has an upset tummy. Just a few tablespoons at first and then more later when that stays down. My dog LOVES chicken and rice. Many of the tasty additions that we love (e.g. onions, garlic, salty things, oily things) are bad for dogs, but some sliced boiled green beans, some plain cooked pumpkin or plain cooked sweet potato would be fine once they're feeling better.
That's absolutely lovely ❤❤
I’m just glad to learn about congee!!
I love Jammy eggs, yet I never knew the name of it till now.😅 I cannot wait to try this congee recipe.
If you are talking about congee, Cantonese congee is the best of the best, there are a million different variations and uses, even hot pot, Canton is the state of congee among other things. Adding oil to soaked rice and freeze them is a requirement for Cantonese congee
Can you explain further?
Do you soak the rice in water and for how long? Do you then drain the water before adding the oil? How much oil? Do you boil the frozen oiled rice or do you let it thaw first?
@@liuj88
You don’t have to freeze the rice; it just speeds things up a bit, making it more foolproof.
th-cam.com/video/2sQjr77FAWU/w-d-xo.html
1. Wash the rice, then drain it. Preferably use short grain or a mixture of long grain for fragrance and short grain (or even glutinous rice) for texture.
2. (Optional) Add some sesame oil or a flavorless oil to coat the rice. Try not to use canola oil as it has a fishy taste that will come through in this type of dish with simple ingredients.
3. (Optional) Wait 15 minutes to 2 hours to the rice to soak up the liquid
4. Freeze in a freezer-safe container for 90 minutes (or however long it takes to freeze all the way through), to overnight, or longer until you need to use it.
Rice to water ratio is important, you will have to test it out, there are some recipes that would specify the texture differences for each ratio: whattocooktoday.com/how-to-make-rice-porridge.html
The small amount of water from washing the rice is enough to break up the rice structure during freezing.
There are some Teochew style congee videos on TH-cam as well for flavor inspirations:
- th-cam.com/video/NAwhToBucLw/w-d-xo.html
- th-cam.com/video/ryZyZCM-pao/w-d-xo.html
This is the congee hot pot, it has no subtitle, but I think you will get the gist from the video @2:09:
This video uses the technique as well, and you will see the oil add as well.
th-cam.com/video/xovCH0qKnH4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=dLvz82NhW81eFKgj&t=129
Thank you!
Looks delicious and very simple to do! Also, I was wondering if you guys could do a video comparing the Quince stainless steel plans to the All-Clad versions? I have always heard that Quince produces some of their items in the same factories as their competitors, so I am curious about how they compare!
You can use soup stock to make the congee as well.
As an athlete (🥉nationals swimming, podiums at triathlons), congee is my race day breakfast. It's a warm hug that's rich in fluids, electrolytes, and carbohydrates. Plus it's easily digestible and microwavable at hotels.
(It's also delicious).😋
Can you make this in a pressure cooker to cut the time? Maybe the pot in a pot method? 💖🌞🌵😷
Filipinos make versions called lugaw and arroz Caldo with chicken, garlic and ginger cooked with the rice. Filipino penicillin 😊
A tip to speed up the process is blend some of the cooked rice and it'll thicken up in a pinch!
The instant pot 3 quart has a function that makes porridge or congee. And yes congee is very good and good to help balance your health.
You can also just run it at high pressure for 30 minutes, that's how I usually do it. I also like to tie up a cheese cloth satchet with some spices like star anise and sichuan peppercorns in the cooker.
Yass, rice queen, slay! 👑
Lord, I'm so glad you guys rinse off the rice to get rid of the starch. You should almost always do that for rice. It's a pet peeve of mine when people don't do that because it will make your rice so gloopy.
Try toasting the rice with chicken fat and garlic! It gives an incredible nutty flavor
Many people understand there is no need to rinse rice before using it. In the past, when rice was transported and stored in fiber bags -- hemp, burlap -- rinsing was needed to remove collected dust and fine dirt. Modern methods of transportation and storage have removed the need for rinsing.
I steam my Jammy Eggs. My steamer fits12 eggs in a single layer. Boil the water on high, then place the covered steamer on to steam for 8 minutes then immediately into an ice bath. When cooled, peel them and put in a covered container in the fridge to enjoy all week.
Hey ATK! love ya'll thanks for keeping me inspired in the kitchen, however I was just watching "modern marvels" the other day about rice and they were talking about how brown rice has more nutritional value because the bran layers haven't been removed. They also said that the way white rice is processed it sucks the nutrients into the grain before shedding the bran and germ layer, retaining the nutritional value so that it was about the same as brown rice. I've always rinsed my rice before cooking but the episode said to NOT rinse white rice because it would shed away a lot of that nutritional value.. I'm curious on what your take is on this!!
Eat this for my whole life....
In the Phils. We use chicken stock.. add chicken feet, different kinds of meats .. toassted garlic
I like to add some chicken stock, green onions and shredded chicken to the congee before cooking to make it richer.
Agreed. I use low-sodium or salt-free chicken broth (to prevent it from becoming too salty while cooking down) instead of plain water when boiling the rice. Then at the end I top with shredded chicken, thinly sliced scallions, sliced pickled garlic, a few drops of toasted sesame oil, a few drops of shoyu, and a chopped boiled egg (or slivers of a plain omelet.) Minced raw coriander is good, too (if you don't mind that infamous cilantro flavor.) Pickled ginger is nice in small quantities (it is STRONG.) Soaked dried shitake mushrooms, slivered with the stems removed, is positively medicinal -- and magical. Preparing them is a little tricky, but once you learn how (e.g. how to not transfer any grit into your meal, how to remove the very hard stem, etc.) then they are delicious. Minced celery greens (tops) can stand in for or join the sliced scallions or fresh coriander. Soooooooo good.
Rice porridge is good after a night of drinking at the bars. It's good hangover food.
We have a Philippine version called 𝑔𝑜𝑡𝑜 with squares of long-boiled tripe and yellow-dyed with dried 𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑢𝑠 𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑠 flowers. Topped with boiled egg, garlic chips, spring onions and chili oil.🤤
Different style from what I make but that’s absolutely lovely
Use Mandarin teriyaki sauce. Its delicious.
Can you deep fry a regular onion?
Shallots pack a bigger punch despite the smaller size
Yes you can fry crispy onions.
Odd to not have an Asian chef making congee..but...glad this is now made more mainstream.
Yes to a new Dan video!
Just to double check - for the jammy eggs, the heat stays on for the full 8 min and they stay about at a boil?
Actually Congee is really the food that most Chinese would eat when we are under the weather.
💗
Dan your stove top fried shallots are 1000 times better than your microwave version.
That recipe is also on this channel.
Congee is delicious, versatile, and it’s the only thing I want for a meal when I’m sick. But the downside? It drives blood sugar level too fast. Might not be the most ideal meal if you want to stay full for longer.
The added toppings can add protein and even a bit of fiber to help even out that sugar spike and make the meal last longer. Even the type of broth used can add extra protein if you've made it from bones!
You can try making this with millet or mixing in some brown rice, that’s what my mum does.
Will it be easier and faster to saute the shallots in a pan covered on medium heat versus a microwave? And you don't have to use as much oil
Kinda depends. I wouldn’t skimp on the oil because you want an even fry, otherwise some of the shallots will be golden when the bottom lot are sufficiently browned. I think this microwave method is a lot easier to control as you go in time intervals and always keep a close eye on it. If you’re an experienced cook with a good pan that doesn’t have hotspots then I don’t see why you also couldn’t do it that way (I don’t have a microwave at home so I would do it in a pan), but it won’t be faster and the risk of burning is probably higher. Just getting the water out of the shallots will take a while in a pan.
@@fabe61 agreed that Microwave easier to control but you're checking every minute to 30 seconds stirring and reheating. That's arduous. You put on pan at a certain heat setting and as they brown lower the heat setting and stir occasionally. Simpler.
But you want to use that much oil because then you have shallot oil that you can use to flavour other things. 🤷🏼♀
add a little oat to make it extra silky
I bet you could make congee in a slow cooker overnight. Then it would be ready for breakfast.
How much salt and water for 1 potato?
❤️❤️❤️❤️
It’s like Fyaan Bhaat but with the toppings and Khichdi minus the spice and vegetables.
💗💗💗💗🤗🤗👍👍
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Great recipe but by god the comments from the sideline are annoying.
HINT ! DON'T read them !
I’m a simple woman: I see Dan; I click “like”.
I sell crispy fried shallots 😊
..ah geez...will I need eels? We don't get fresh ones here.
I prefer it with bits of chicken breast
So is it a tupe of Rice pudding that is topped w raisins & cinnamon w milk added?
No, it's savory and dairy-free, as the video shows.
good to see asian stuff on here. check out some filipino dishes too
caldereta, Arroz Caldo, and many more thank you
Hearing measurements for a recipe is wild. Everyone I know is just like, take some rice, put a lot of water (or broth) in it, add seasoning or whatever you like, cook until you feel like it's done.
Wild? The very simple concept that many people have no frame of reference for a particular dish so need a little more guidance than "just cook it till it seems right" is hard for you to grasp? How could someone whose never tasted a dish possibly intuit what ratios of ingredients or spices are appropriate?
Nice
No one would spend 90 mins to boil congee! You can soak the rice and freeze it overnight, just boil that rice ice block whenever you want. Boom! The congee will be perfectly ready in 15-20 mins (because water cracks the rice grains when it freezes).
Please give more detailed instructions😅. Can't help it, I'm a perfectionist and I gotta have details. It's a miserable life but it's mine.
Just gonna have to be courageous and wing it I think. @@terebrown2892
Ahhhh. That involves planning ahead. I find the need for congee strikes me when I least expect it. Ha-ha!
What do you mean no one would cook it this way? Millions, billions cook it like this.
Good shortcut but strange way of putting it.
@jeanvignes dont know if could use left over plain rice to sart with
With those aromatics that was added that is SE Asian style congee. Like the Filipino "Lugaw".
Traditional Canto style congee is plain white congee and light "toppings" like salted pork sticks, freshwater fish slice, pork liver, minced beef/pork, and centuy egg. And just fresh spring onion and that's it.
It’s all rice porridge whether you want to call it Lugaw, Goto, or Arroz Caldo. Dress it anyway you want.
The title said Chinese.
He mentioned the century eggs in the video, but he probably figures a jammy egg is more doable for viewers.
That looks more like crapppyyyy 😂😂😂😂 then congee
It's American Congee.
At the start I was wondering why they were talking about Japanese-language characters.
When any of u actually use jasmine rice for rice porridge?!?! Not me lol
Why does cooked rice become hard, and release the moisture in it.
How long did you leave it? That sounds more like you left it so long it fermented and separated.
The water on the surface evaporates, which creates osmotic pressure that draws the water from the interior of the grain out, which then, itself, evaporates in a cycle. Once the walls of the grain are compromised by cooking, they can no longer prevent this drying process from occurring like raw grains can.
Why don’t you just drop the eggs in the congee and let them poach there for a couple of minutes?
🤔Shell on or off? There's likely a good chunk of the population who wouldn't go for the idea of dunking eggshell into their dinner, given that old bogeyman potential of contaminating eggs with salmonella'd shell as you crack them open and shelled eggs would likely sit on top of the congee and/or break apart if you tried to submerge them.
The technique Dan's using here is steaming the eggs in a shallow amount of water which works for one egg or six as the small amount of water comes back to boiling faster than if they were submerged in more water.
it's been an hour and a half 3 gallons of water and my rice is still hard (ಥ‿ಥ)
Wait, no soy sauce? If there's one universal ingredient agreed by all cultures who cook congee, it is soy sauce.
The soy sauce is there, one of the condiments between the chili oil and black vinegar.
Viets enter the chat with their bottle of fish sauce...LOL! Jokes aside, soy sauce isn't used that much in Vietnamese cuisine and we re next door to the Chinese.
What the heck is a vigorous simmer?? A simmer is defined as BELOW a boil. If it is below a boil, how can it be VIGOROUS????
A lot of recipes call for a gentle simmer, so they're just letting you know to simmer just under the boiling point rather than with just a few bubbles rolling about.
@@VeretenoVids A few bubbles rolling about is not a simmer, according to the dictionary definition of simmer. If it is bubbling, that is a boil.
@@allredtail Interesting. The cookbooks I have that say that must be mistaken then. 🤷♀
Poor Dan seems so pale
Dan is gorgeous! He doesn’t look any paler than normal to me.
Nah... paler, thinner, and less bright@@capers72424
He's wearing his black uniform.
I was anticipating cringe when I saw white folks attempt to make the food of my culture. But Dan did not disappoint!
I only wish he featured century eggs and the science behind it, dispelling myths and the bad rep it gets. ATK often discusses the maillard reaction in foods and the century egg would've been a great example of it.
I hope someone is reading these comments, because I love ATK but this video format is so unappealing.
The camera changes, host, and style of banter remind me of infomercials from the mid 90’s. I get that producing and editing this style of video may be cheaper than the “What’s eating Dan?”s and similar, but I implore you to abandon this format and go back to the other more organic and more thoughtfully edited styles.
You won’t allow me to see the recipes without signing up for a 14 day "free trial". Is it a mistake that you fail to mention how much the subscription is going to cost after the free trial? I think not. Giving us the full cost, all the information up front is called integrity. Such a quaint notion in this day and age. It’s a pity because you have some good info. I particularly like Lam Lann. I hope I didn’t screw up her name. She’s excellent. I would subscribe to her channel in a heartbeat.
It's Lan Lam. Easy enough to make the effort to look it up, especially if you're a fan. 🤷🏼♀
Thanks for judging and shaming me oh one who has never been wrong. Happy New Year!
@@tomtiernan8134A simple statement of fact based on your own words. If you're feeling judged and shamed, it's self-inflicted. 🤷🏼♀
Thanks, Karen. You’re always around when people need to hear your nonsense. Tchau!
Uncle Roger in 3...2...1...
Bacon.
❤
you should have called this Lugaw, because this is made in that style. Chinese people don't garnish plain white congee like this- we cook the ingredients in the congee.
you guys are usually pretty authentic with ethnic food, but you are totally off the mark on this one.
Leave the chinese food to the chinese, where are the pangs???
This recipe is in the Pang's cookbook...
You Filipinos think you invent everything. China is a huge country. Maybe Filipinos learned it from the Vietnamese whom border China.
I love congee but lmao at those stupid masks in the background
I find the expression " vegetable oil" very imprecise ... Not very advanced for cooks.
Are they performing surgery in the background? What's up with the masks?
The jn1 covid strain is spreading fast, along with RSV, flu, and other respiratory viruses up here in the Northeast. Keeping staff healthy means business as usual and productions can continue.