[ChefKid]

I've long wondered how Chinese restaurants get their congee (jook) to taste so rich and velvety. My own attempts to recreate that taste have been disastrous, so this dish isn't made very often. Does anyone out there know?

Thank you,

Ck

[kuan]

Mudbug says it has to be cooked overnight. I use a stick blender.

Kuan

[Mezzaluna]

I agree with Mudbug- a slow cooker would be just right, too. But then, Kuan is a very practical guy!

[mudbug]

I think it all depends on how you want to do it.

Traditionally, congee was made from left over rice from the nite before, which makes cooking time a lot less.

We usually make it from uncooked rice by putting it in the crockpot with whatever additions we like to add, bring it to a boil and then turn it down and let it cook overnight so it's ready in the morning.

Congee means different things to different people. Much like an omlett, there are as many ways to make it as there are people who eat it.

ChefKid,
>My own attempts to recreate that taste have been disastrous

Exactly how have you been trying to make it? What type of rice are you using? How are you trying to cook it? Do you soak the rice before cooking? Etc... Let us know and we will be better able to help.

[shahar]

after cooking the rice I mix some starch(corn/potato/etc.) mixed with cold water and add to the pot. Cook for several more minutes.

[barista]

Cantonese congee is made by a long slow cooking process. No short cuts (stick blender) or addition of other starches!

After washing the rice (long grained), add some oil to coat the grains and let it marinate for 30min or so. Add water or stock if available and keep it on a slow simmer after the water has come to a boil. You should be able to get a nice congee with the rice grains nicely broken up after a few hours. Overnight is good if you have the time.

[AzRaeL]

slightly out of toipc but what are your favourite Congee ingredients?
mine are Dried Scallops and Century Eggs (i have no idea why the guy in Fear Factor keeps calling it 1000 year old eggs, maybe it's for the grossness factor?)

[mudbug]

AzRaeL,

Here in the states, the common English name is "1000 year old eggs".

Check out the post here posted (02-13-2002 05:31 PM).

[AzRaeL]

Originally posted by mudbug
AzRaeL,

Here in the states, the common English name is "1000 year old eggs".

Check out the post here posted (02-13-2002 05:31 PM).

in asia, it's more common to call them Century Egg

[barista]

Originally posted by AzRaeL
slightly out of toipc but what are your favourite Congee ingredients?
mine are Dried Scallops and Century Eggs (i have no idea why the guy in Fear Factor keeps calling it 1000 year old eggs, maybe it's for the grossness factor?)

My favourite is pork porridge! It's filled with minced meat balls, sliced tenderloins, liver. In fact, I just had a bowl this evening at the re-opened East Coast Food Centre. Next will be the one with the century eggs, salted eggs and salted pork

Fish porridge, when I'm a little under the weather

[AzRaeL]

Originally posted by barista
My favourite is pork porridge! It's filled with minced meat balls, sliced tenderloins, liver. In fact, I just had a bowl this evening at the re-opened East Coast Food Centre. Next will be the one with the century eggs, salted eggs and salted pork

Fish porridge, when I'm a little under the weather

ha! a lot of my friends swear by the Frog's Legs Porridge in Chinatown. I think it's on Sam Leong or Smith Street in Chinatown (singapore).

[ILive4Food]

All of your responses are correct in the different ways of cooking congee. There are so many different styles, methods, and ingredients to making a good congee. In response to the original question of "how do Chinese restaurants get their congee so rich and velvety?", you can either add milk or corn starch with water mixture. If you use corn starch, make sure the starch is fully disolved in the water before apply to your pot of congee. That's it! Try it for yourself. Enjoy!

[phatch]

I like the oernight method myself. I've tried the stick blender but wasn't satisfied Of course, that stick blender died shortly after so the blender may have been faulty.

Short grain rice helps too.

Phil

[boar_d_laze]

We use a no. 1 long grain rice, preferably Thai with at least a year on it, for juk. 9 or 10 water to 1 rice by volume, plus a little salt. About a tsp of table salt, to 1 cup of rice. I know the stove and pot well enough to know how to set the flame so it will simmer and never boil -- although if it boils for a few minutes, it isn't that big a deal. It takes about an hour for a decent textrue, and about 75 to 90 minutes for really excellent. Then I finish it with a little Maggi seasoning sauce.

We like all sorts of things in the congee. Dried bok choy, dried scallops, dried shrimp, pork foo, century egg, chicken, skirt or tips trimmed from spare ribs before smoking, hard boiled egg, minced fresh beef, sliced fresh beef, minced fresh pork, fish fillet, preserved fish, you name it. I do whatever pre-prep is necessary (if any) before adding the flavorings.

It's a good idea not to get too complicated though -- keep it down to a couple of things max. I mince some chives and serve them along with a little crisp fried noodle to dress it.

When we first started fooling with it we tried the slow cooker, loading up the congee with quantity or variety of flavorings, slow cooking them along with the juk, and so on -- but could never make it work. Not that these things don't for other people. In the end, we settled on the simple techniques I told you about.

BDL

[DC Sunshine]

The first time I tried congee was in Singapore - various offerings were sent out with the dish to make your own combo - I think I added too much of everything! There were things that I knew not what they were....but tried them anyway. I think I most preferred deepfried shallots, springs onions, what I think was crispy fried crumbled bacon, mushrooms, and egg omelette.

It was smooth and savoury and delicious, even after my attempt at experimenting with way too many additions.

Find your own combo to your preference, but it doesn't have to be set in stone. Try something different and see what happens.