Comfort Food: Rice Porridge

Rice porridge (also known as congee or jook) is the comfort food of Asia. It’s the go-to dish whenever you’re feeling under the weather or have over-indulged. It’s also a great dish for using homemade chicken or turkey stock when that is available.  This past weekend, I made some rice porridge since it was cold and rainy outside.  Adding various toppings, the porridge takes on fresh flavors. I made it with brown rice since that’s the staple in our kitchen, although that is less traditional than white rice. It was still very satisfying. For toppings, I used leftover chicken meat, shredded, sesame oil, green onions, cilantro, and ginger. Served with sauteed bok choy, this was a festive meal.  Although the cooking time is long, there’s very little fussing while the rice is cooking down. Next on my list is to try a butternut squash congee.

Chicken Rice Porridge

Homemade chicken stock
Brown rice
Toppings:
Green onions, sliced thinly
cilantro, chopped
ginger, sliced into very small slivers
fish sauce or soy sauce
sriracha sauce
sesame oil
chicken meat, cooked and chopped

In a large soup pot, bring to a boil chicken stock and rice. I like the ratio of 8 parts liquid to 1 part raw rice which makes a thick porridge closer to a soft oatmeal.  If you prefer a thinner porridge, a consistency closer to a thick soup, you may want to use a ratio of 10:1.  Cook vigorously until you arrive at the consistency you like, around 2-3 hours.  Serve the rice porridge with assorted toppings. Top with white pepper if desired.

shared at $5 Dinners, Pennywise Platter, and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday