Congee is an extremely popular breakfast dish in Asia. Different countries have their own versions of this, but for this recipe, I will be showing you the way I grew up eating it and the consistency that I enjoy most. The beauty behind congee is that you can customize it however you want and add pretty much any type of toppings. It is also a great way to spread out the volume of rice if you are afraid of the high carbs.
Tips to making perfect congee
Water to rice ratio
The water to rice ratio is important to gain the correct consistency in your congee. Some people like their congee thicker and others like it more dilute. It is all up to your personal preference and is a very easy variable to control. If the consistency is too thick, add more water and let it simmer. If the consistency is too thin, let it simmer uncovered for longer and the water will naturally evaporate out.
Break up rice using whisk
After you have simmered the rice for 30-40 minutes, you will want to break up the grains of rice which will release more starches to thicken it. Otherwise, you would just be eating rice with water. My ideal consistency is when the congee is one evenly thick consistency.
Don’t touch rice, and don’t cover pot
After the water has come up to a boil, add the rice into the boiling water, give it a quick stir and do NOT touch it afterwards. If you continue mixing in-between, the rice will stick to the pot. Just turn it to medium heat, and leave the pot partially covered while leaving a little bit of space to let the water escape. If you fully cover the pot, the water will overflow.
My favorite toppings
Youtiao (fried dough stick)
Youtiao is basically a fried dough stick and is the perfect thing to eat with congee. It is extremely light and fluffy which I enjoy dipping straight into the congee. Many people like to cut them into smaller pieces and mixing it in as well to soak up the congee.
Century egg
Century eggs have become extremely popular and are honestly one of my favorite types of eggs. Although the name suggests that it’s a 100 year old egg, it actually isn’t. Century eggs are a type of fermented duck egg and the dark color of the egg is what makes it seem like it has been aged over 100 years. The flavor is a very rich and creamy which is what I find is perfect for congee.
Congee (Chinese Rice Porridge)
Ingredients
- ½ cup short grain rice (jasmine)
- 4½ cups water
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1 slice ginger
Toppings
- Youtiao
- 1 Century egg
Instructions
- Wash your rice and set aside.½ cup short grain rice
- Heat up your water over a stove until it comes up to a boil.4½ cups water
- Once water is boiling, add washed rice into the water along with chicken bouillon powder, and sliced ginger.1 tsp chicken bouillon powder, 1 slice ginger
- Give everything a good mix with a whisk then cover with a lid leaving some space so that the steam can escape.
- Reduce to medium heat and let it simmer for 30-40 minutes.
- Using a whisk, break up the grains of rice until the congee is one even consistency.
- Add century egg, serve with green onions and youtiao.Youtiao, 1 Century egg
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