Hi guys,
This simple bowl of congee takes me back to my childhood; it's the kind of simple food
that makes me feel safe and warm and comforted.
What is it? Basically a savory rice porridge that can be eaten plain or with lots of other
foods mixed in or dressed up with condiments. It's a typical Chinese breakfast food but
can also be eaten at other times of the day and especially if one is feeling ill.
All you need is rice and water or broth and perhaps some ginger and scallions to season.
I'm using Thai jasmine rice because it's what I have, but you can really use any type of
rice you like, even brown rice. Some connoisseurs might disagree on the type of rice but I feel
it's up to personal preference.
First wash your rice. This just helps the congee cook up nicely without excess grit
or rice flour.
In the pot I have half a cup of rice. Fill up the pot, swish around and drain most of
it.
Now I swish it around some more. Agitating the grains to loosen any rice flour or grit.
Fill up the pot again and drain. And do that again a couple more times until the water
is pretty clear.
After the final rinse, drain and add 4 cups of water, ginger and salt if you like.
Set this on the stove and bring the water to a boil without stirring.
Once you get to a rolling boil, turn down the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is
completely cooked.
At this point, I take out the slices of ginger. Some people will use finely sliced young ginger
and leave it in, but I really hate biting into pieces of ginger. It's a texture thing
I've had since I was a kid.
Now we get the power tool out; I mean, the immersion blender. This is a kind of cheat
step as the rice is broken down slowly during the cooking process in the traditional method.
This was is much quicker and I find the results are fantastic.
Now, blitz the rice porridge until it's smooth. Some people, like my mom, actually prefer
having large grains of rice still in the congee but I like mine super smooth, Hong-Kong style.
And that's it. You can add more hot water or broth to thin it out but this is your basic
For a simple breakfast, you can have this garnished with green onions and a little soy
sauce to enhance the mild flavour of the congee. It serves as a warm and gentle way to wake
up your digestive system.
It can also get as complicated as you like. Other common condiments include fermented
tofu, fermented black soybeans, and pork floss. I don't use pork floss of course, but you
can also make a vegan version out of mushrooms.
For today, I have some sweet corn seasoned with soy sauce and sambal sauce. These strong
tasting condiments are meant to be eaten in little bits to balance the plainess of the
congee.
So that's it. Look out for future videos that I'll be sharing on Chinese condiments and
foods that you can have with congee.
Thank you so much for watching this video. Please give it a thumbs up if you liked it.
Do you have a childhood favourite that you've veganized or want to veganize? Share it in
the comments below so we can all get some comfort food inspiration.
Bye for now!