Congee
One cup of rice, twelve of stock, and an hour of low heat until the grains dissolve. The toppings are the meal; the base is a canvas.
- Prep
- 10m
- Cook
- 1h 15m
- Total
- 1h 25m
- Serves
- 4
- Effort
- Easy
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done. Tap an ingredient once for got it, twice for need it.
| 1 cup | Freeze the rinsed rice for 2 hours, then bring to the boil in stock 10m Freezing cracks the grains so they collapse in half the usual time. | Simmer uncovered, stirring every 10 minutes, until it falls apart 1h 10m Barely a bubble. A hard boil scorches the base before the starch releases. | Ladle into bowls and top at the table 3m Season only at the end. Salt added early slows the grains from breaking down. | |
| 2.5 litres | ||||
| a 5 cm piece | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 1 tsp | ||||
| 1/2 tsp | ||||
| 3 tbsp | Fry the aromatic topping until crisp 6m | |||
| 3 | ||||
| 3 cloves | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 2 tbsp | ||||
| 2 tsp | ||||
| a handful | ||||
-
Freeze the rinsed rice for 2 hours, then bring to the boil in stock
10m- jasmine or short-grain rice 1 cup
- vegetable or mushroom stock 2.5 litres
- ginger a 5 cm piece
- dried shiitake (optional) 4
Freezing cracks the grains so they collapse in half the usual time.
-
Simmer uncovered, stirring every 10 minutes, until it falls apart
1h 10m- from 1 Freeze the rinsed rice for 2 hours, then bring to the boil in stock
- salt 1 tsp
- white pepper 1/2 tsp
Barely a bubble. A hard boil scorches the base before the starch releases.
-
Fry the aromatic topping until crisp
6m- neutral oil 3 tbsp
- shallots 3
- garlic 3 cloves
-
Ladle into bowls and top at the table
3m- from 2 Simmer uncovered, stirring every 10 minutes, until it falls apart
- from 3 Fry the aromatic topping until crisp
- spring onions 3
- light soy sauce 2 tbsp
- toasted sesame oil 2 tsp
- coriander (optional) a handful
Season only at the end. Salt added early slows the grains from breaking down.
Why the ratio matters more than the time
Congee is a starch suspension, not a porridge of intact grains. At roughly one part rice to twelve parts liquid, the grains have enough water to swell past the point where their cell walls give way, and the released amylose thickens the whole pot into something that coats a spoon. Less liquid and the rice thickens before it collapses, leaving you with wet rice. Freezing the soaked grains speeds this along: ice crystals rupture the structure from the inside, so a pot that would take two hours is done in one.
Notes
- It thickens dramatically as it cools. Pull it looser than you want to serve it and keep a jug of hot stock beside the pot.
- Stir up from the bottom with a flat-edged spoon. Congee catches and scorches in exactly the place you cannot see.
- Leftovers set solid overnight. Reheat with a splash of water, whisking.