One of my favorite things in the world to eat (and my number-one comfort food of choice) is also perhaps the simplest: congee, or rice porridge. A staple throughout Asia congee is also called juk, kanji, ganji, chao, chok, lugaw, and jaou, amongst other things. Now, there’s nothing that exciting about rice porridge, I’ll admit. Rather, the awesome part of congee is the condiments, for which the congee itself is the perfect compliment and vehicle.
Congee is ridiculously easy to make — simply boil rice in an excess of water. For a thicker congee use a five cups of water to one cup of rice ratio. I like mine a little thinner so I use a 10/1 water/rice ratio, but in some parts of Asia you can find it as thin as 13/1 or even 15/1. Simply bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and cook for about an hour. That’s it. Congee is also a mild and easily digestible food — often served to infants, the elderly, and the infirm. It is also an ideal diet food — when prepared at a 10/1 ratio, 1 cup of congee has only 71 calories, and zero grams of fat. That’s hard to beat…Congee can also be made with other grains besides rice, such as millet, kasha, barley, and oats.
So now the good part: the condiments. Congee add-ons are infinite, and vary greatly from country to country. In Bangladesh, for example, konji jaou (congee) is typically served for breakfast with lime, salt, chili, and fried shallot. In some parts of India ganji (congee) is topped with shaved coconut, fresh coconut milk, and fish curry, chutney, or fresh pickles. In Japan okayu (congee) is often topped with green onion, ginger, umeboshi, soy sauce, or miso. And in Vietnam, Buddhist monks often enjoy their chao simply, with fermented tofu and pickled vegetables. There is really no “inauthentic” way to enjoy congee — its permutations are endless!
One of my favorite preparations: coconut milk, brown sugar, chili oil, preserved black bean, and roasted peanuts
When I enjoy congee for breakfast I usually top it with brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, nuts, dried or fresh fruit, jams and chutneys, seeds, red bean paste, and coconut or almond milk — not necessarily all at once! Some of my favorite savory condiments are: sambal, chilies and chili oil, Sriracha, egg, roasted peanuts or cashews, scallion, cilantro, miso, preserved black beans, tofu, fried garlic and mushrooms, and coconut milk.
It’s such a ridiculously simple recipe that I feel kind of silly posting it, but I figured that it’s something that a lot of non-Asians aren’t familiar with. Congee is cheap, it’s filling, it’s healthy, and with the right condiments, it’s downright soulful.
For a hearty meal: topped with fried egg, chili paste, preserved black bean, scallion, and roasted peanuts
theindiehomemaker 