Ginger scallion congee with goji berries, seaweed, bonito flakes, shrimp, egg, chili sauce, taiwanese salt, and toasted sesame oil
Cooking can be really hard when I'm feeling sick but my husband rubbed tiger balm on my back, I ate a clementine, and it gave me enough energy to still make a nourishing meal that would satisfy how extra picky I get when I'm not feeling well <3
Porridge is a survival food. I am not sure if it is simply because of how you can stretch one cup of rice to make warm bowls of wet starch for four, or because of the way a warm bowl fits into your hand, the way the smooth rice doesn’t hurt even the sorest of throats, the way it will use most leftovers you have without complaint. I grew up calling this meal porridge, likely a remnant of living in a colonial British occupied country, but I’ve shifted to calling it congee like my white friends do, because the Chinese restaurants in the United States call it that, and I no longer live in a country where the dominant grain is rice. It has other names—juk, bubur, okayu, xifan—but the point is that it’s just rice and water, boiled until the rice expands and the starch breaks down and you are left with something that is not quite a soup, but is quite a comfort.
The legendary Shing Yin Khor shares their perspective on cooking for big groups and the joy of simplicity. If you've ever wanted to nourish a crowd and do it beautifully, you want this essay in your life. This essay is accompanied by Khor's ratio-recipe for congee, featuring a fully illustrated guide you can print out and keep on the fridge or in your recipe box. Go make it for the people you like best.
Add bones for the most delicious congee. It's a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method of cooking, but I use it because the chicken congee I make with the bones is far superior. Congee can be made with just water and rice; nevertheless, many traditional meals around the world use the time-honored method of adding bones to dishes that don't necessarily call for them.
“When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.” ― Dom Helder Camara
For dinner tonight, homemade congee -- savory rice porridge -- that sticks to the bone.
Homemade Congee
For 4 servings:
Congee:
1 cup [uncooked] long grain rice
4 cups bone broth [chicken or beef]
3 cups water
1 tsp. Kosher salt
Combine all the ingredients together in a small pot. Bring to a boil; simmer on the stove for at least 1-hour and cooked down to desired texture. (I don’t like my rice too broken down.)
Common congee seasonings include green onions, ginger, roasted peanuts, egg, pork floss and so much more. But for this recipe, I added duck to mine!
Duck Breast (the lazy air-fryer version) -- Optional:
12-ounces Moulard duck breast
1/2 teaspoon five spice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
Pat dry the skin on the duck breast with a clean paper towel. Score the skin with a crosshatch pattern. Add seasonings and oil on the skin, spreading evenly. Cook in an air fryer at 400F for 15 minutes -- the internal temperature should be around 130F. Slice before serving with congee.
Ginger scallion congee with shredded taiwanese short rib, seaweed and sesame seeds, chili sauce, toasted sesame oil, and super soft boiled onsen egg <3
Bought from the coffee shop further down the road are my Braised Duck Rice (卤鸭饭) with deboned duck drumstick, roasted pork, braised peanuts and braised rice plus cucumber and sambal chilli paste. Mum had the Braised Duck Porridge (卤鸭粥) or congee with extra deskinned duck meat and braised peanuts.
PS - Mum favourite braised duck porridge stall had since closed. Now, got to travel all the way to Chong Pang to buy it.