Learn how to make silky smooth Asian rice porridge (Congee). It can be done on the stove, rice cooker or Instant Pot.
BASIC CHINESE CONGEE (JOOK)
Making congee or known as juke in Cantonese, is pretty coarse in our family. I frequently make it for breakfast. I decided to write this post because I used to not sure how a lot water I needed to add in to get the solution I wanted. The consistency of the porridge can vary depending on the total of body of water or stock you add in. I personally like a medium chummy to medium thin porridge. Some people like a slender porridge. so, I thought I might contribution this basic share of making asian rice porridge using white rice. 
THE BEST RICE TO MAKE CONGEE
I suggest using a more “ starchy ” rice such as jasmine rice (long-grain) and japonica rice (medium-grain). These two are perfect to make conge as it will give your congee a smooth, starchy and satiny texture. Rice such as basmati rice doesn ’ metric ton “ gel ” ampere a lot when you use it to cook porridge. The rice grain will most likely remain intact. If you hush want to use basmati rice, I suggest pulsing it few times in a blender or food processor to break up the grains a snatch before cooking. Do not turn it into a powder though
HOW MUCH WATER OR STOCK TO COOK CONGEE
Everybody has a different predilection when it comes to the consistency of porridge. I myself prefer a rice:liquid ratio between 1:9 to 1:10. Remember that the longer the congee sits, the compact it becomes as it continues to absorb water.
This porridge is made with 1:7 ratio
This porridge is made with 1:8 ratio
This porridge is made with 1:9 ratio
This porridge is made with 1:10 ratio
The 1:10 ratio may seems a bit thin at first base, but after 10 minutes, the consistency has thickened even more ( photo below ), which is the consistency I like.
HOW TO MAKE EASY CONGEE AT HOME
1. Just briefly rinse your rice
You want the starch in the rice vitamin a much as you can to thicken up the porridge nicely. This will give the congee a smooth and “ creamy ” consistency. Rinsing the rice is chiefly just to get rid of impurity ( if any )
2. Choose the rice : liquid ratio you like ( as I mentioned above ) and bring the liquid to a boiling point and add the rice in
3. Bring it second to a boil
4. Stir it every nowadays and then to prevent the rice from catching at the bottom of the pot
5. It will continue to get thick as the starch releases from the rice grains
6. Once you are felicitous with the consistency, if you want to add a protein like ground pork barrel, pisces, chicken, etc, add it at this steer and cook until the kernel is cooked through. Season with salt to your taste if you want 
DO I NEED TO SOAK THE RICE?
FOR WHITE RICE: I ’ ve try soaking and not soaking before and I don ’ metric ton in truth find much deviation in terms of texture and cooking prison term. Well, possibly a little fast if you soak the rice, but I don ’ metric ton feel like it ’ s significant enough
FOR BROWN RICE: You decidedly need to soak for as least 1-2 hours. This will help to shorten the cook time. I recommend pulsing the rice in a blender or food central processing unit to break up the grain a little bite. This helps to make the porridge “ mousse ” a morsel better
FROZEN RICE CONGEE
Another method acting that my ma taught me a while ago is cooking congee using frozen rice. The theory behind this is that when you freeze the rice and then you cooked it in hot seethe water, it will break down the rice granulate faster and the starch from the break grains will make the porridge satiny and politic. It besides helps to shorten the cooking time a snatch .
TOP TIPS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. Don’t over rinse the rice
The starch in the rice grains gives that legato satiny consistency. Do not over rinse it. If you get the rice that has been pre-washed, then you don ’ t even need to rinse the rice
2. Stir every now and then
If you cook on the stave, you need to stir the porridge every now and then to prevent the rice catching at the bottom of the pot and burn. The starch get bite quickly as it thickens
3. Use stock for extra depth of flavor
It does make a huge dispute in terms of flavor when you use fair plain urine versus breed like chicken stock or other type of stocks
4. The rice : liquid ratio is just a guide
This besides very depends on the rice you use, your rice cooker if you cook the congee with rice cooker. If it ’ s besides thick, you can always thin it out by adding 1/2 cup or more of liquid or if it ’ s excessively slender, you can cook it longer to evaporate more liquid
VARIATIONS
Rice congee can besides be made into a complete meal alternatively of good a plain congee. hera are some ideas :
1. PROTEIN
Add them after the conge has thickened. The raw protein will cook promptly
RAW PROTEIN: prime pork, ground joker, fish slices, small boneless chicken pieces
COOKED PROTEIN: leftover shredded rotisserie chicken kernel, century eggs, cooked salted duck/chicken eggs
MEATLESS PROTEIN: tempeh cubes, firm bean curd cubes
2. VEGGIES
Add these freeze veggies after the porridge has thickened
FROZEN VEGETABLES ( NO THAWING NECESSARY ) : edamame, freeze mix vegetables, freeze corn, etc
FRESH VEGETABLES : dice carrots, sweetness potato pieces. These necessitate to be added the like prison term you start cooking the congee as they need time to cook until soften
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT LEFTOVER CONGEE
Store: If you cook a big pot and have leftover, you can keep it in the refrigerator but test to finish it within 5 days.
Reheat: Simply reheat on the stove and you will need to add more water or stock to thin it out. The longer the conge sits, the thick it gets. You can besides reheat in the microwave by adding more fluent to thin out the porridge How about you ? do you have any tips for cooking rice porridge you would like to share ?
How to Make Basic Asian Rice Porridge (Congee)
Prep Time
5
mins
Cook Time
30
mins
Total Time
35
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Servings
6
servings
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Ingredients
- 200 gr Jasmine rice
- Water or stock see rice to liquid proportion below
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Rice to Liquid ratio:
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For very thick porridge: Rice to liquid ratio is 1:7
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For thick porridge: Rice to liquid ratio is 1:8
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For medium-thick porridge: Rice to liquid ratio is 1:9 (I like to use this ratio)
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For medium-thin congee: Rice to liquid ratio is 1:10
Prepare the rice:
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Just briefly rinse the rice for any impurities. You may not even need to do so because some brands have prewashed the rice Place the rice and water in a medium-large pot.
Cooking congee on the stove:
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Bring the water/stock to a boil and then lower the heat and add the rice. Bring it back to a boil and then lower the heat to medium to let it gently simmer for about 25-30 minutes, stirring every now and then to prevent the rice catching at the bottom of the pot. The rice grains will slowly release more starch and get smoother and creamier starting at about 20 minutes or so
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If you are adding meat like chicken, beef, pork, fish, add only after the porridge has thickened. Add them in at this point and stir until they are cooked through. Season with salt to your taste and serve immediately while the porridge is hot
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The longer the porridge sits, the thicker it will get. You can always thin it out by adding more water or stock
Cooking congee with Instant Pot Pressure Cooker:
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Place 1 cup of rice with the amount of water ratio you choose to use. 9 cups is a good one to start if it’s your first time making it in instant pot. Less liquid is lost when you cook in Instant pot, so 9 cups of liquid is almost equivalent to 10 cups of liquid cooking on the stove
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Press pressure cook and set to high pressure. Set timer to 30 minutes. When it’s done cooking, release pressure naturally, which may take about 10-15 minutes
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If the porridge is too thick, you can always think it out by adding more water or stock. If you want to add protein like meat or fish, turn on the saute mode and bring it to a boil and then add in the meat and cook until they are cooked through. Season with salt to your taste
Cooking congee with rice cooker:
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Add rice and liquid to the rice cooker. I recommend starting with 9 cups of liquid. This sometimes also depends on your rice cooker, so you may need to experiment. Close the lid and if your rice cooker has porridge setting, use that. If not just press cook and cook for one cycle. When it’s done, open up and see if it has thickened to the consistency you like. If it’s still watery, cook for another cycle. If it’s too thick, you can always add more liquid and stir. It should thin out to the consistency you prefer. Season with salt to your taste
Frozen rice congee:
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Place 1 cup of briefly washed rice or whatever quantity you want in a freezer-friendly bag and let it freeze for at least 6 hours (12 hours if you have the time). You can freeze several bags for future use too. Frozen rice be kept in the fridge for up to 3 months
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When ready to cook, place water or stock in a medium-large pot and with the amount of water ratio you like. I use 9 cups and bring to a boil and then add the frozen rice grains (without thawing). Bring it back to a boil and lower the heat to low-medium. let it simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat until thickened to the consistency you like. Stir every now and then to prevent the rice from catching at the bottom and burn
- If you are adding kernel like chicken, beef, pork barrel, fish, add only after the porridge has thickened. Add them in at this point and bustle until they are cooked through. Season with salt to your taste and serve immediately while the porridge is hot
Video (appear as pop-up)
Notes
1. The longer the porridge ride, the chummy it will get. If you have leftover and need to reheat it, just add approximately 1/2 to 1 cup of water and it will “ loosen ” the porridge back to the consistency you like
Recommended products:
Instant Pot
Rice Cooker
Dutch Oven
Nutrition
nutrition Facts How to Make basic asian Rice Porridge ( Congee ) Serving size 1 Cup Amount per Serving Calories 92 % Daily Value* sodium 10 milligram 0 % Carbohydrates 21 deoxyguanosine monophosphate 7 % protein 2 guanine 4 % * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Tried this recipe ?
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