Make Congee like the Cantonese (Shunde style)

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Hey guys, a few notes: 1. In the introduction, I (sort of erroneously?) used a Teochew/Thai-Chinese style of 'congee' called Khao Tom (ข้าวต้ม) to illustrate "too thin". This sort of thing totally exists within the Cantonese cooking system too: it's called tong faan (汤饭, Mandarin name 'paofan', 泡饭), is a homecooking classic, and is absolutely acceptable. And while obviously quite Teochew, both me and Steph quite like the restaurant where I took this footage (maps.app.goo.gl/6CqjizxR4AxcpGNs5). In hindsight, we probably should've just whipped up some too-thin congee ourselves to illustrate the point. 2. Because this is the internet, I really really want to emphasize that we are *not* giving Ethan Chlebowski shade for his congee or anything. In our upcoming couple videos, we're going to be going over a few dishes that exist in that... 'liminal-space-between-cultures' (next video, a popular bakery item in China these days; the following, episode two of our ongoing "western food in Asia" series), which's a particular passion of ours. So it's actually really interesting to see the direction his mind went with it - and the direction many congees online out there go. I've got a whole ramble-y discussion on the topic in the Substack post, for the curious. 3. If you don't have access to dried scallop or dried shrimp, fish sauce can hit similar notes. However, you would want to add it to the *final seasoning* of the congee - something like 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp should do the job. 4. The Patreon Discord was quick to correct us that in many places you *can* find broken rice, if you have a good Vietnamese grocer. It's called Gạo tấm, and makes for a popular dish in South Vietnam called Cơm tấm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C6%A1m_t%E1%BA%A5m . Still, our homemade-artisinally-broken rice also totally does the trick (and is not very difficult). 5. Oh! Also, if you happen to be China-based, broken rice is called "米砂". It is not super common, so you'd likely need to purchase it online. Do note that this is not the same thing as 碎米, which is *also* broken rice, but is a lower grade meant for animal feed. 6. If you happen to be working from already broken rice, you still do want to marinate the rice for ~15 minutes with the salt and peanut oil before starting the congee. That's all for now, might edit some more notes in in a bit :)

[@bjones9942]

Poor Ethan! LoL.

[@GothicPotato2]

If you're looking for fun ideas for a Western-style congee, my family always does a turkey congee the morning after Thanksgiving with the leftover turkey and a stock made from the turkey carcass. It's a massive hit all around!

[@HakanaiMT]

The key is a good soup and calculated carbohydrates (you'll want 80% carb for a congee substitute a full meal). . Congee is the way Asians honoured rice with a good soup (plus newly added meat). . Good way to nuture the sicks; across the world.

[@johnnychang4233]

Is the time taken to soak the rice in water count like marinating also?

[@lemonoxygen8846]

Hey I think you mean paofan, not panfan for the mandarin pinyin.

[@Nosceteipsum166]

An interesting fact. I live in Brazil and we also have the exact same dish, we call it "canja", which is basically a rice porridge/soup usually with chicken and potato that eat when we are sick. There's obviously an asian influence that arrived here centuries ago. The name is almost the same, the idea is almost the same and the food is almost the same. I wonder how it went from Asia to Brazil lol

[@waisinglee1509]

Likely Chinese laborers.

[@riffmeisterkl]

In India it’s called Kanji, which is also the Malay/Indonesian word for “starch”

[@ogorangeduck]

Probably from the Portuguese possessions in India (Goa and the rest)

[@5skdm]

lol In indonesia we just call it "bubur ayam", just means "chicken porridge"

[@riffmeisterkl]

@@ogorangeduck I think so. Makes sense since the Portuguese invaded India and Malaya at that time.

[@TheLazyGeniuses]

I remember when I first got into Asian cooking 5-6 years ago I bought the cheapest 50lb bag of jasmine rice from a brand I trust. When I got home that day, I was forced to learn that broken rice was a product on the market. Had lots of practice making congee for the next 4 months!

[@wbw911]

Asian grannies : don't waste food

[@AlejanderLong]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@JoshuaC923]

Oh dear😂😂 on a positive note your congee game must be ace

[@diikay8430]

West African markets should also have broken rice available, It's traditional for many of the flavored rice dishes within West African cuisines (like Jollof rice for example). It's great for making kofte and stuffing. Glad I have another recipe in my back pocket!

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Thieboudienne is made using broken rice, yeah? I remember hearing that there's a specific west African rice variety, I'm curious how that one could make a Cantonese style congee?

[@diikay8430]

​@ChineseCookingDemystified yeah, Thiboudienne also uses broken rice. I know both African rice and African cultivars of Asian rice that are used within African cooking, but at my old local African market the broken rice is from jasmine rice (and for a while, they just stocked Cơm tấm)

[@dpelpal]

Interesting that the broken rice kernels are used for congee in China. I used to work at a rice mill whilst at UC Davis in N. California. I ran the machine than took the husks off the rice. Broken kernels were totally a function of how I set the machine...drums too close, nearly all the kernels were "dehusked"...with the drawback that it increased the broken %. We shot for 10% broken for normal Calrose, and 2% broken Calrose for sushi rice. Interestingly, the broken kernels weren't sold for consumption. We'd load railcars with the "brokens" and they'd be shipped to Anheuser-Busch's plant in Fairfield to make beer. 🤷‍♀️

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Yeah I learned this when researching! "Brewer's rice", yeah? I was sifting through whether they might be able to be used for congee to no real satisfactory answer. It should be noted that the broken rice used in congee in Shunde - called 米砂 - is the broken rice from a top grade of rice. The broken rice from 'normal' rice is called 碎米 and is used for animal feed

[@nikobatallones]

At least it's not going to waste!

[@dpelpal]

@@nikobatallones It was insane how much broken rice we'd ship from that place. We'd ship abouy 60 railcars full of broken rice per week @ 30,000 pounds per car!

[@matusao]

I’ve also seen it sold under the name “rice grits”, which I think is a really good way to describe congee, truth be told.

[@nizzy116]

Fisherman's boat congee is my favorite congee, originating from Hong Kong fishermen catching seafood and selling it on their fishing boats. These were small boats. Another is pork and century egg congee. Classic

[@IAmTheUltimateRuler]

I definitely need to try more congee - I've only ever made it once, when I was ill and didn't have any appetite, but knew that I'd just feel worse if I didn't get some form of nourishment. It was a very slapdash, google-a-ratio then chuck-stuff-in-the-pressure-cooker affair. But a couple of mouthfuls and it was like a revelation: "oh yeah, I get why rice porridge is such a big thing for such a big proportion of the world's population now"

[@maxglazer4298]

I generally much prefer the okayu ratios to congee ratios, but you guys never dissapoint so I'm excited to see this recipe!!

[@melaniemagdalene1616]

In Tamil Nadu, we call our rice porridge "kanji", its usually very simple, just rice boiled to smithereens and served up with some salt, pepper and chilli if you're adventurous. It's a must have for anyone recovering from a fever.

[@TheWhiteDragon3]

For anyone who needs the tip, I actually can find broken rice at my SEAsian grocer here in the United States, the same brand I buy my jasmine rice too. Take a look, and they might have it.

[@anthonyalles1833]

Yes, you can get Thai broken rice, since they use it to make jook, but ironically, it's also more expensive than normal rice, since it typically comes in much smaller bags,

[@raerohan4241]

​@anthonyalles1833 But you also need to use less rice to make one portion of food. Does that offset the cost or is it still more expensive?

[@anthonyalles1833]

@@raerohan4241 Well, I buy my jasmine rice in 25 pound bags, so it's hard to get cheaper than that.

[@themocaw]

I can't believe you called my favorite style of congee "unhinged."

[@syaondri]

I think it's a compliment in the cooking world, unless you're one of those food purist who hate the idea of strawberry pasta or pineapple on pizza

[@user-tz9jh6pv2j]

@@syaondri Nothing "purist" about hating pineapple on pizza. It's just... disgusting, and wrong. - signed, Chinese American who grew up in NYC and went to school in Italy

[@syaondri]

@@user-tz9jh6pv2j it's not wrong to be a purist though, people's taste are different after all

[@cameronschyuder9034]

@@syaondri You are correct. The problem is when some purists pushing their narrow definition of what is "good" and "bad" onto others or make their own opinions sound like universally objectively correct answers. Expressing opinion example: "I find this to be disgusting" (making it clear that it's a personal preference). Pushy example: "How can you eat that garbage?" (expressing their own opinion but also a rhetorical question to shame a person for liking what they like to eat). Ambiguous example: "This is disgusting" (it can be interpreted as if they're making a claim that their opinion is objectively right, but these days I interpret the phrase as "this is disgusting [to me]"). The distinguishing feature is whether they're being mean to someone with their own opinion. I suppose this happens with non-purists too, though that would depend on how you define a food purist, because how rigid someone is about food is a spectrum. I mention this problem in relation to food purists because it seems to be a common phenomena on food social media.

[@syaondri]

@@cameronschyuder9034 true indeed, when you force things unto others especially when it come to taste it always is rude But language can be interpreted differently, so I always try to use "I personally don't like it"when I have negative experience with a food XD

[@espinaypmd]

My congee making became so much easier after I heard the tip to freeze the rice. Wash it then drain and put in a bag in the freezer (I portion just enough for a pot per bag). Then just tip it frozen into your water/stock to cook. Reduces cooking time and no worries about not having broken rice. Always a good texture.

[@carmelpaints313]

This is the first time I've come across a video that specifically talks about something from 顺德。 It's a city very close to my heart ❤

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Ha we've got a couple Shunde recipes on here, we lived there for three years after all :) Here's some 拆鱼羹 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHrGo3dsZcqVpq8si=kZEI2wH-9_4W9GW2

[@ClarionMumbler]

the self-made fanart at 1:55 is what we all needed. That is merch I would buy.

[@MosheFeder]

When I was first seriously getting into Chinese food, I found congee too bland. But after trying it a few times with different add-ins, I was surprised to find I had developed a craving for it! After my neighborhood of Flushing in Queens became NYC's largest Chinese community, I had a plethora of places to have congee whenever I want. But since I'll soon be moving to a comparative Chinese-food desert, having your easy and typically well-explained method at my disposal will be very valuable to me. My thanks to you both!

[@patavinity1262]

As someone who currently lives in a Chinese food desert, I miss being able to go somewhere like Flushing.

[@Jahalang82]

People tell me that it’s too weird but I just put in like two to three lemons wedges worth of juice.

[@bjones9942]

I'm not too picky about my congee. I use 1 cup of medium grain rice to 10 cups of stock/water in my instant pot pressure cooker. Cook for 1 hour on high, with a natural release. Add the protein, some ginger, a little chili crisp, and any veg in the fridge I need to get rid of. Thanks for the video!

[@Rhasputinn]

My unhinged congee favorite is thai num tok inspired. Congee topped with grilled beef, cilantro, green onions, red onions, toasted crushed rice, lime, fish sauce, and shriracha!

[@marie-suzankalogeropoulos9249]

Hell, yeah, that sounds delish'😢! Thanks for the tip!

[@plowe7981]

I was thinking about adding fish sauce to mine.

[@Helloomi97]

you hit it out of the park every time. i'm from HK and super picky with my congee. i can just tell from looking at the smoothness, consistency and shine whether it's done right or not. your congee looks incredible.

[@emmahardesty4330]

For sure, this is the best congee video I've seen--for total prep and creativity. Freezing is a good idea. Thanks

[@rikrose]

Ever since I heard about broken rice for congee a year ago, I've been cutting my cook time in half by running it through an old coffee grinder that I hadn't got rid of yet.

[@timlaunyc]

When I heard about the broken rice type congee a while back, I mimicked the consistency with soaked rice (30 mins in water) in a food processor. I used about 3-4 pulses, and got the size you had in the video. These days, I prefer the consistency of congee from medium grain rice. And presoaking rice saves a lot of time in cooking, and keeps in the freezer.

[@priscillaferguson267]

I live Jook. In the winter when it’s cold and raining, whenever not feeling well, an all around comfort food 😋

[@statusdisarray9598]

I adore congee and am fortunate enough to be able to buy broken rice and even frozen prepped rice. learned so much from this video thank you i use way too much seasoning in my broth in this comforting wonderful dish. I will follow your steps precisely thank you so much!❤

[@Hydramus89]

Day old left over rice and using a whisk is typically what happens in my house hold. I find i get the similar texture really quick. I do eat rice everyday though so it's more conivnient. I love fish and pork balls too. Sometimes ill so velveted pork slices which also works. Velveting is incrediblely affective in congee. Great recipe, reminds me of back in Hong Kong!

[@stevey.8514]

Tried this recipe for the congee base with pork and century egg, came out great - thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

[@plowe7981]

Thanks for the recipe. I really wanted to know how to season it and it turned out great. I grew up in Vancouver, Canada and my parents still live there. When I go visit them, we always go out for congee. At home I tried following online recipes using chicken stock but it’s just not right. Thanks again.

[@Pandariots]

I'm stirring both ways, I can't be stopped

[@henryng9406]

Don't invite anyone over for congee.

[@marsnyder2610]

Thank you. ❤ This is the most authentic perfect Cantonese porridge recipe Ive tried just like what I order in a Cantonese restaurant.

[@greatgentre]

Thanks for sharing this, I love your videos. It’s always educational and very detailed enough for a person who is not that familiar on how to cook Chinese dishes like me. So thanks a million for this. I hope you come out with a cook book with the same approach like your videos to inform and educate and teach people how to cook Chinese recipes. You make it seem to easy every single time in each video to cook Chinese food. ❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏

[@mr8029]

I really like this channel, it is nice to learn so many new things Oh, in Poland there are some similar soups Not exactly like that, and there is no broken rice (at least as far as i am aware) but "unbroken" rice or grains like barley are used There are also "rice flakes" like flattened rice that are very quick to cook and tasty (Although also served in hospitals as a horrible concoction called "glue soup" if you have not been able to eat for a while )

[@Red-Pooh]

You can get away with just freezing the soaked rice (not crushing them before freezing), the process of freezing will break down the rice for you (water expand and damage the cells during freezing). A lot of cantonese channel use this method to reduce traditional cooking time from couple hours to 30 minutes, I tried and it works.

[@Handlethis.96]

In Thailand, I like another style. We made soup with however things you wanted (I called them toppings) then we poured it into a bowl of cooked jasmine rice and called it a day. Normally this dish would sell at night market. Sellers would separate rice, soup and toppings anyway you wanted.

[@plowe7981]

Thanks for the vid. I love a good bowl of congee and wanted to know how to season it. Tbh I’ve had problems with making it. I read to use old uncooked rice, I’ve oiled the rice, used leftover rice. What works best for me is using Arborio rice-the same kind used to make risotto. I open the package and leave it in the cupboard. I go with a 1:11 ratio.

[@touji_01]

Interesting. I've always wanted that nice congee texture but most recipes I find either say to soak the rice the night before or add oil or put a spoon in the pot. This is the first time I've heard of using broken rice. Can't wait to try it!

[@DolceVitaGurl]

I like unhinged congee. I sauté some aromatics in oil, I throw my chicken thighs in when the rice is cooking, with some chicken powder, let it all cook up together, thin it out after if i want, shred the chicken. Then top it with anything vaguely Chinese i have in the pantry (which happens to be a lot of things!). Being from the south, it’s like chicken and rice, Chinese inspired. If i do this in the instapot, it takes 30 mins and I can eat for days. I ❤ congee.

[@fogfish]

Pro tip: Rinse rice. Bag and toss in freezer. The rice grains break upon freezing. I've removed the rice within fifteen minutes to make congee. (I do not store frozen rice in the freezer.) It cooks fast too. You are now the congee magician.

[@imelpomene]

I always put my rice and water into vitamix and lightly blend, before dumping into the pot.

[@Bababuza]

This is the way!!

[@yharnamiyhill787]

I like to use the instant pot preasure cooker. Just go on high preassure for 45 minutes, natural release, use a wisk to beat the rice grains, perfection.

[@Mark1JT]

Broken rice is easy to come by here in Canada at any asian grocer and even in some standard grocery stores. If you don't have a specific asian grocer try a standard grocery store in an area more populated with asian people and there is a higher chance of finding it. I've also found grocery stores are usually pretty good about bringing in a specific product if you ask.

[@headspacedeficit]

Yeah, I'll acknowledge that when you come from a rice eating culture, you get picky about your rice. The first 2 are beloved childhood favorites but dad would also make this chilli-scallion-soy sauce condiment to put on top, too. Someone else in here mentioned fu chook which is a nice addition to ginkgo nuts and dried tangerine peel. Good job guys, texture of that jook looks +A!

[@nottheoneyourelookingfor0504]

Congee is my new chicken soup. Ever since I tried the dried scallop version in a congee restaurant. My fave has got to have pi dan and seafood, with generous white pepper and gronions and cilantro. Sooooo good

[@Andrewfood3888]

Awesome Video!!! I would really love to see a video on the different types of sweet congee or something like that if possible!!! Best wishes!!! 😊😊😊😊❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@Aussie-des420]

My favourite and all that’s keeping my 83 year old dad healthy. broken Rice. Method many years ago from a very nice Chinese neighbour love from Australia. Cheese in congee

[@LLNTMY]

Perfect timing. I was just looking up Vietnamese cháo recipes yet always ending up on Chinese congee videos this week. 😂

[@milesredgate4596]

I can't stop comparing congee to grits in my head while watching this, which makes me wonder if you could make some kind of congee with ham hocks and collard greens...

[@brookechang4942]

I'm sure you could braise ham hocks and collard greens and use them as a congee topping. Edit: Hell, it wouldn't be any weirder than carbonara congee. (I love congee and I love carbonara, but something about that combo is just... sus.)

[@themocaw]

​@@brookechang4942Its just a watery risotto.

[@themocaw]

Iirc Ham and pickled mustard greens are toppings for congee too.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

@@brookechang4942 lol the production mostly tastes like parmesan cheese congee. There's a traditional Shunde style of congee that adds a couple sheets of their local old school acid-set buffalo milk cheese so it's not *totally* insane, but yeah. Some skepticism is warranted, but try a little parm in a congee sometime, it's surprisingly solid

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

In parts of Guangxi they literally make congee with cornmeal :) We still have the idea of a "Guangxi grits" video floating around in the ether (though making congee with whole pieces of their local waxy corn is a bit more common)... I think most things that could top a grits competently could top a congee and visa versa

[@someguy4476]

You two are awesome. Love this channel

[@jessiwang857]

Consistently, y'all make informative content that inspires me to try something on my own. Answering a question I didn't realize I wanted to ask anyone but my Cantonese mother (who doesn't always get where I'm coming from)! Random thing, I wish you had spoken about the word "congee" and how it has no relation to what Chinese people call this stuff lol

[@anthonyalles1833]

Not sure if anyone has already mentioned, but you can gets bags of broken rice in the Thai section of any good store selling Asian food stuffs, since they use it to make Jook, their version of congee. BTW, I don't know what it's like elsewhere, but dried scallops are, unfortunately, insanely expensive over here in the Bay Area.

[@lanphuongyu1719]

Costco sometimes sells dried scallops snacks. Maybe you can try it out.

[@anthonyalles1833]

@@lanphuongyu1719 Thanks, I'll check them out.

[@patster4040]

In Sydney the local Cantonese seem to call it ‘Jook’. There are a number of Congee/Jook joints around but my favourite is the Superbowl in Dixon Street, and also in Golbourn Street. So understated and delicately balanced. Preserved egg and pork is my favourite

[@queenapril0009]

That's my favorite style too. I think Steph and Chris actually have a video of century egg pork congee too!

[@yesfinallygot1]

Yeah that's how you say it in Cantonese. You can hear him saying it when talking about the congee base and stuff. Not sure why it's called congee in English tbh

[@RaymondHng]

@@yesfinallygot1 The popular English name _Congee_ derives from the Tamil word கஞ்சி (kañci). The Portuguese adopted the name as _canje,_ with the first document mentioning the dish and the word in 1563. The English name was adopted from the Portuguese.

[@yesfinallygot1]

@@RaymondHng I see, that's interesting! Thanks for sharing!

[@olivier2553]

It gets me salivating!

[@ElementEvilTeam]

Another easy way to make congee is to use leftover cooked rice. It takes absolutely no time to turn into mush once you start boiling.

[@mathewritchie]

This is how most of mine is born.

[@n0etic_f0x]

Congee is one of my favorite breakfasts, the broken rice is interesting, I basically do that without knowing about it, same with the dried shrimp, thirst time hearing about it... but I have used it many times. I will often go with canned beef of some kind... there we have a likely non-traditional ingredient but I make it as broke, strung out, homeless 20 year old.

[@DavidChow-n4x]

Congee taught to me by my mother in her Kitchen. Breaking down the rice made easer: We would lightly wash the Jasmine rice and then let it soaked overnight. By the next morning the rice will be soft enough it will be easier to break down when you boiled your rice. We use roast pork bones to make the broth for the congee at her restaurant she would use a hand blender to smooth out the texture of the congee when the rice has softened, it will be a lot quicker. Set the heat to low let rice simmer. I would add in a tablespoon of chicken bouillon, if you don’t have pork bones. The key to a good congee is the broth. Stirred the bottom of the pot so the rice doesn’t get burn. Once the congee is burn you have to throw out the congee and start all over again because the congee will have a burn taste to it. Dehydrated some Shiitake mushrooms and dry scallops overnight. Dice up the mushrooms and break apart the soft overnight and scallops. Strain the mushrooms and scallops water into the pot. It will give it some added favor to the congee. While the rice is continuing cooking add in your dice mushrooms with the rice. After the congee has the desired texture add in your: dry scallops, dry beans curd , mince water chestnuts, and mince Chinese preserves turnip while the congee is cooking. Then congee is also ready add in your quick ingredients just before the congee is done: marinate filet fish, fresh prawns, thousands years old eggs, ground pork or beef, or chicken, whatever you like in your congee. I generally like to shred some fresh young ginger and added to the congee. Seasoning your congee with white pepper, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. Topped your bowl of congee with diced green onions and cilantro. At the restaurant they charge five to six dollars depending if it seafood or not. With seafood we add shrimp, and fish fillets, for a medium size bowl, at home for free, just your love and time but you can you collect from your family members to buy things for yourself. 😂🤣🤣

[@m.r.jarrell3725]

So, it's like rice grits in certain US southeastern states? Haven't had Cantonese congee since I lived in China in the late 70's. It was so good!

[@brandon3872]

I really enjoy congee, and I haven't tried making this style before, I'll give it a go. I often cook Korean style juk (congee). 😊

[@kattharris1025]

My grandparents would make congee but we always called it chok ..my favorite is as a desert flavor of cinnamon with fruit lychee dragon fruit candied ginger

[@alexanderk.3177]

Interesting! Greetings from Houston TX! 🎉

[@ConstantlyRepeatingMyself]

Vietnamese grocery stores sell broken rice which is usually eaten with grilled pork chops or other meats. It's called com tam. It is more expensive than regular jasmine rice

[@Kirinboi]

Congee is like my favourite food by far. I’m love it so much I enjoy cooking it as much as I eat it. I actually really like a 1/20 ratio and use a electric whisk towards the end ahha

[@monimelie]

At home, our favorite jook (congee) is with century eggs and green onion. And some pork if we feel fancy.

[@danielalmario3619]

To the rice part I just leave them whole and at the end of cooking time I use a whisk and stir-whisk until it breaks and bind into the broth and you get to see that it gets into the desirable consistency. works for me every time and when my mother eats my version she doesn't even notice and loves it. And you know how Cantonese/Chinese people when it comes to food of origin they are hard to please even harder from experts culinary judges.

[@cameronschyuder9034]

"we'll gently crush this with a heavy pestle" I know that this makes sense in context but it also sounds like a good humorous setup (oxymoron-esque "gently" compared to "crush... heavy pestle")

[@marie-suzankalogeropoulos9249]

We'll "gently" beat the cr*p out of the dastardly stuff... 😂

[@Kingxeyesore]

Nice timing. I googled congee several times today lol

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

It's no coincidence...

[@randalalansmith9883]

The fancy rice cooker (Neurofuzzy) has porridge setting built-in. That's been great for steel-cut oats and all sorts of cool grains.

[@blueorchid2467]

Your Dog is sooo adorable ❤

[@lesslighter]

Another method to get the same effect if "lazy" is while the rice is cooking you just stir for approx 3-4 minutes while in rolling boil not too agressive but just enough that the soft mushy rice grains get "crushed" I think this is the same technique that is used to give the guandong style congee its texture

[@meantares]

In Bangladesh and West Bengal in India, people est something very similar called fena-bhaat. The consistency is similar and it’s eaten with ghee, green chili, fried round slices of potato, fried fish, and even an egg omelette. It’s pure soul food.

[@krysab6125]

Ooh, that sounds delicious!

[@Sunila_DragonladyCH]

I was browsing the comments to see if anyone had posted about this. My dad always makes fun of me and my mum, but when my grandma made it we were in heaven. I need to make some this weekend !

[@meantares]

@@krysab6125 indeed it is. Give it a try sometime. Esp. as Sunday breakfast.

[@trashraccoon2635]

what do you mean the egg one is unhinged!!! it's so slurpable and good and great when you're sick and need something easy to digest but has both carbs and protein to keep you full!!! i usually immediately break the yolk and mix the egg in the piping hot congee to cook it though. also, i've found that if you soak the rice for at least 30 minutes (i go for overnight) it's easy to break the grains with your bare fingers, so that may be a good alternative if you don't want to bring out the rolling pin.

[@BudderBoyz]

1:53 love these drawings

[@vinaty3354]

Very informative thankyou

[@aquamage10]

A convenience I've gotten into when imitating hand minced ground meat in the west (with apartment neighbors) is to get pre-ground meat and whip it in a stand mixer for a few minutes on low speed, kind of like making sausage. The stand mixer is violent enough to break down some of the pieces to mimic the hand mincing action and the whipping takes care of getting the proteins sticky. It will get you 80-85% of the way to the real thing. Hope this helps anyone who cant bash meat with a cleaver!

[@johnhoneyman1966]

Excellent info as usual, thanks! Can you please do a video of congee using pre-cooked rice? What ratio would you use?

[@HeatherLandon227]

Wow... ok.. I made myself some basic congee a week ago, and ended up with the Cantonese texture and I wasn't even trying.. Usually I prefer a bit thicker but, energy levels and just how I was feeling meant, however it turns out. Had it with a fried egg so- Yummy :)

[@Ren-oc7jg]

Fantastic video! Tried the recipe but still confused why my congee didn't end up with that milky white appearance. Mine appeared more translucent/ gluggier? I used jasmine rice and made sure to rinse it thoroughly prior to cooking. Would cooking it longer give me this result? Or potentially my pot was too wide for the amount of rice/water I was using? 3/4 cup rice : 12 cups water

[@joshdauber1263]

Hi, I was wondering if you've heard of freezing rice for congee. I've seen lots of people saying to freeze washed rice, and the bits of water in the rice will expand and crack the grains. It doesn't look visibly different than normal rice, but it also cooks into congee faster. Is this a good equivalent, or does breaking it first lead to a better texture? Also, do you have any good suggestions for toppings / additions for a vegetarian?

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

I've heard this before, and it makes sense as well

[@joshdauber1263]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified Thanks for the quick reply! I'm a huge fan of your content, it's been super useful to my life as a person who needs to eat as well. Hopefully this isn't pushing too far, but are there any standard congee ingredients/toppings that are vegetarian? I always struggle to get something interesting but also not overdoing it and I was wondering if this is a problem with an already existing solution, i.e. is this an already solved problem in China?

[@TreeTrunkCrabWhacka]

​@@joshdauber1263 Pickled mustard greens, toasted sesame seeds, fermented red bean curd, oyster/button/shiitake mushroom, wood ear, wonton crisps, peanuts, fried onion/garlic, century egg, duck egg, reggular egg, youtiao, green onion, fresh ginger, white pepper, coriander leaves Also, for this recipe, if you wanted to sub the dried scallops for kombu you can remove it after cooking. Roll it up and slice thin to create an interesting crunchy, long, but also slippery topping. Also great in salads and soups. It *may* turn your congee slightly green depending on how much you add.

[@blumenmupfel]

I just made this for the first time, and topped it with some pan fried chicken. I used too much white pepper (I'm guessing when I used pre ground I need less, or I'm just a wuss xD White pepper is a heat I'm not good with, I think) Other than that it was super easy and tastes really good. I got broken (Jasmine) rice from my Asian grocer, so that was helpful.

[@hallarempt183]

Looks delish... And I learned stuff, too.

[@DanZayza-ib3ti]

ive been making congee for about a month now and thought i had it down pat. i went to a local chinese spot thats known to have great congee and i was humbled big time. then i scoured the internet to see different means of doing it. crossing fingers that this broken rice and 1:16 ratio might just be it

[@tehkokhoe]

I love buying roast duck cause i enjoy it twice, once as roast duck, second time as roast duck congee. Tbh the mere thought of having roast duck congee the next day makes the roast duck meal even better 😂😂

[@TheAmazingKoalaDolphin]

idk why but ive always cooked my proteins separate from my congee and just added it at the end as a topping. My personal favourite addition to congee is century egg and garlic chives.

[@nikobatallones]

In (one of) our (FIlipino) version(s), we cook the chicken alongside the congee -- seasons the rice and gives you protein all in one go!

[@anthonyalles1833]

You can also add some Chinese sausage towards the end and let them cook together with the congee.

[@Shiirya]

Honestly i think you can just cook in another pan some meat or so, vegetable that would require more cooking time and then add the premade congeee on top of it to finish the cooking, you'll have plenty of flavour and more variety of product like that, but as he say at the begening generaly most congee have a light flavour, so i guess you want to keep the rive a bit more light on the taste, that why they probably just do a quick cook for those. Its the kind of thing you have to test and adapt to your own tastes

[@turtur735]

Watching from Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬 and I have to be honest, the first time I have heard about Congee is from the cartoon movie title Raya and the Last Dragon 🤦‍♀️ I am watching this with full concentration because I love the movie 😊

[@Waywren]

oh, that's fascinating and delicious looking! Do you think the ingredients and technique would work in my zojirushi rice cooker, which has a congee setting? My standing is a bit limited...

[@TheLazyGeniuses]

To get that signature congee rice texture, you really need the convection movement from a simmer which sadly the zojirushi won't give. That being said, many people still like congee from a rice cooker so if you enjoy it, I don't see why you can't do the same add ins as the recipes above

[@brookechang4942]

Tip for people like me who have noodle arms and time: if you go directly from soaking the rice to freezing it, the water inside the rice will expand as it freezes and break the rice apart that way.

[@Krossfyre]

I've always broken my rice up in the pot with a stick blender when I'm too lazy to let it fully cook and break down, but breaking it down before cooking looks like a way better method. The stick blender is just really inconsistent unless you blend for a while, in which case you run the risk of getting it too smooth.

[@pinyochangpertitum488]

You can get Broken Rice at Asian supermarkets or your city Chinatown.

[@archiekleung]

Tks

[@Ikaruwa]

When you described the broken rice process, I couldn't help but wonder if you've tried instant rice? IDK if it's just in the US, but it's basically parboiled and re-dehydrated rice, which makes it cracked and broken apart in a manner pretty similar to your broken rice. I'll have to try using it with your process this weekend!

[@kostastaicoff]

Have you ever tried rinsing and freezing the rice overnight? The ice crystals do the work! I realize it might not be feasible globally, but am curious how it might compare in texture to your (lovely) congee.

[@adrianlowe9369]

The schnauzer at the end of the video is always a highlight for me.

[@graefx]

Congee always make me think of Bruce Lee's diet where he always had congee with liver for breakfast. I made it once with pork liver and loved it. But then started just having liver and eggs. Should do that again.

[@eileenzhang6405]

What's the reason/science behind the one direction when marinating the pork?

[@pawealbrzykowski9251]

Perfection !!!!

[@abydosianchulac2]

Uh, yeah, totally didn't agree with the assessments of the congee at the beginning, who could be that picky >_> I guess the Canto blood flows in my veins stronger than I thought But for real, your mentioning, Steph, about juk with red bean reminded me I had a recipe for black rice juk with red bean I was trying to work out. Guess I know what I'll be inflicting on the family tomorrow night!

[@grnsn738]

An even lazier way: skip the rolling pin and throw soaked rice straight into the freezer. I usually let the rice soak overnight to get real soft, cook straight from frozen and cooking time is about the same

[@Dragoncraft755]

Would sesame be a good oil replacement for peanut?

[@EK-ke1qz]

The guys from Made with Lau have a different approach to getting this texture of congee consistency - with a whisk, after the rice grains are cooked. So it becomes a matter of "when you want the rice broken - before or during the cooking?"

[@fairlane32]

What’s a good fish to use? Anything??? Like halibut? Or pollock? What about shrimp. I’m guessing very small shrimp and not the big ones because it would take too long to cook? 🤔

[@vlgr8ter]

What's the science behind stirring the pork mixture in one direction only? I've always thought it was an old wive's tale, but super keen to understand how it works if it's a legit technique.

[@TheLazyGeniuses]

Why do you want to mix it in two directions? One direction is fine!

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

I don't have any proper scientific explanation for you or anything, only experience :) It's a little difficult to see in a quick hit video like this, but as you stir, the mixture begins to form long strings/fibers that you can sort of see if you look closely. I think of it as 'aligning' the proteins, but that's probably a super pseudo-scientific answer. For more information on the topic, you can delve into the world of myosin development in sausage making - there's a ton of resources online, and an organic chem geek would probably be able to parse it a bit better than I can haha Of course, there's mechanical ways that you can agitate meat mixtures that don't go in one direction, so I'd think of it as a guideline more than a hard and fast rule. We've gotten this question quite a bit, so once or twice I tried stirring in a 'back and forth' motion to see if it would still work. With good quality pork, it does, but I did feel like it took longer to arrive at the final end texture. But there's too many variables to say anything definitive The other potential explanation is that sometimes stirring the meat mixture is a job that's given to children in a Chinese home. And if you stir in a back and forth motion instead of in one direction, it's much easier for bits of the pork mixture to fly out of the bowl. So perhaps the instruction is a way to keep the kitchen clean, which I think is a laudable goal no matter the age group

[@coffeebuticed]

I dont have anything scientific, but think of it this way. When you're trying to make some sort of meat mixture, you ideally want any connective tissue still somehow in the meat to break apart, and for it to evenly... develop the same level of consistency? Something like that. By mixing it the other direction, you could get a less even mixture as it encourages clumping and the like, when mixing in one direction only encourages a more even distribution of flavors and such. Probably a bad way of explaining it, but in my mind its just mix one direction = more even

[@vlgr8ter]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified Thanks for taking the time to outline your thought process! Funnily enough, I was one of those kids growing up and I was always instructed to stir mixtures in a single direction - whether it was cake batter, minced meat filling, or whipped egg whites. I've since learned that the single direction thing doesn't make a tangible difference for developing gluten in cake in batters, and is actually discouraged when making meringues or whipping egg whites (constant back and forth motions are more effective). I had never come across a scientific or verified explanation for minced meat mixtures, but I was always skeptical because in Chinese cooking, the stirring is commonly followed by a 'dat' process (which you guys do an awesome job of demonstrating) where you 'smack' the mixture on the sides of your bowl. In my mind, I would have thought that this would cancel out any efforts to stir in a single direction since the 'dat' is quite aggressive and splats the mixture in all directions. I'm sure it doesn't make a material or huge difference at the end of the day, so I guess it's really just the curious part of me that is searching for confirmation of a proper explanation. Anyway, I'm really glad you've shared your views on this - really insightful! Thank you.

[@vlgr8ter]

@@TheLazyGeniuses Like your username, I guess because I'm lazy and don't want to do anything extra if it's not effective. Mixing in multiple directions is ever so slightly faster in my experience, but I'd be willing to spend extra time stirring in a single direction only if it actually had verifiable and tangible benefits.

[@kayaba8702]

Cook medium grain rice with smoked meaty bacon bones ! It lifts the congee to another level.

[@lihchong2267]

I once bought speck at the deli/dumpling section of a local shanghainese restaurant, so the congee carbonara probably isn't that far fetched. Not sure i would add the cheese though.