Congee how many cups of water

Just boil rice with water. Cooking rice porridge comes easily to me because I grew up with it as a staple in my diet. It therefore came as a surprise when people ask me how to make congee. When I sat down to write about it, I realize it is more than that. So, let me take a step back and deconstruct the process and present a few ways to make Chinese porridge.

I mentioned in what congee is that there are many regional differences. Here, I am covering home cooked rustic Chinese rice porridge, not fine restaurant fare.

If you are looking for instructions on Hong Kong styled congee, jump here for some quick cooking notes on it. Before we dash off to the different ways of cooking rice porridge, let's look at a few basic tips. It seems superfluous to say this but the first step is to wash the rice. I notice in many cooking shows the chefs do not wash the rice. They prepare it like they would pasta. But rice is not pasta. The Chinese always wash the rice, regardless the packaging. The Japanese is even more fastidious about washing rice.

Use a big pot or plastic bowl. Add water to rice, stir the rice and water vigorously. Rub the rice grains using the palms of your hands. The water should be murky by now. Repeat the washing until water is clear.

Granny says, "Do not throw the murky water away. Store them in a pail to water your plants. Let the rice grains stand in the clear water for about 15 minutes if you have the time. Well-washed rice is important as you want to wash away any excess rice flour or grits which may affect the texture of the congee. It all depends on the consistency you want to achieve.

Granny likes her rice porridge thick while I like mine of medium consistency. There are basically 3 consistencies and it corresponds to the rice-water ratio. This ratio is for cooking porridge over the stove top where more evaporation takes place. Reduce slightly for slow cooker and rice cooker. I can't tell you by how much. It all depends on the size of your pots.

Begin with less water because it is easier to add water if needed. Cooking porridge isn't baking, so nothing needs to be exact. If anything, it is the amount of rice one should take note. I came across someone who tried to cook congee for the first time with 4 cups of rice. That's too much rice. She also skimped on the water because her pot is probably too small to accommodate 32 cups of water! Predictably, her patience ran out before the congee is done.

I know it looks very little but it will expand. And it won't take too long. Rice porridge can be eaten in 2 ways. First, as a carbohydrate staple to go with a few side dishes. These are usually well flavoured dishes. I wouldn't use a stock to flavour the rice porridge as its blandness acts like a balance to the other more strongly flavoured dishes. Plain rice porridge with potato and pork stew and stir-fried cabbage.

Photo by Phoebe Lim. Second, congee as a one-dish meal like the century egg and pork congee , For such, it is better to cook the congee with soup stock. Choose a deep thick base pot, something that will conduct heat evenly. Granny likes using a deep claypot. You can try that if you are cooking a small portion. If you do not have a Chinese claypot, you can try using a dutch oven although I think most dutch ovens are too shallow. Add the water and uncooked washed rice grains.

Bring the water and rice to a boil before lowering the heat to a cheery simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking together or to the bottom of the pot. When the grains of rice begin to break up, the congee is done. You can cook it for longer or slower amounts of time depending on your personal preference. To flavor your congee, soup stock such as beef or vegetable stock can be substituted for the water.

After the congee is cooked, you can choose any number of ingredients to add flavor to the final dish. Common toppings include cooked meat or seafood, egg, lotus root, goji berries and mushrooms. Depending on the ingredient, it may be added while the rice is cooking or placed on top when the congee is served.

Jen Morel has worked in the newspaper industry since She holds a Bachelor of Arts in cognitive science and philosophy. By: Jen Morel. How to Cook Rice in a Steamer. All my life my mom did "just" water and rice most of the time as I was growing up.

It was a quick and easy meal for my family when we didnt have much. That was our version of "instant noodles".

Are you implying that my family was less asian or doing what you call, "cultural appropriation" just because we did water and rice? Gtfo-tta here with that b. You dont speak for all asians. Just because something has soy sauce in it, doesn't make it "Asian". The ratio is , rice:water and a "basic" congee actually just rice and water. This is borderline cultural appropriation. This is the most satisfying meal. It feels like a hug. And you can make it as unplanned as you want to.

For me, this evening it is particularly lovely because of the healing nature of the soup with ingredients like ginger and the broth I made mine using bone broth.

Most congee recipes, however, share at least one common ingredient: rice though some are made with other grains like cornmeal, millet, barley, or sorghum. Congee is made by cooking rice in large amounts of water or broth until the rice grains become so saturated with liquid that they break down, forming a thick, buttery, porridge-like consistency.

Although it can be sweet, congee is more often savory and a favorite recipe to enjoy throughout the cold and flu season as it is filling and easy to digest. This congee recipe, for example, was made by boiling short-grain white rice with 12 times as much water, for a cooking ratio of Once cooked, this thick white porridge serves as a blank canvas for countless garnishes and toppings including spring onions, crispy fried onions, or soy sauce.

In general, rice types you want to avoid include long-grain rice like basmati rice, sweet sticky rice, or brown rice unless you have extra time to let it cook.

Here I used glutinous rice often labeled sushi rice here in the US , but medium-grain Calrose rice or even jasmine rice will work. Since this recipe does not call for any aromatics ginger or garlic , I was hoping to infuse additional flavor by adding some low-sodium homemade chicken stock. If you add store-bought chicken-stock, be sure to add low-sodium or reduced-sodium chicken stock and season with additional salt as needed after the congee has finished cooking.

Soak your rice. Cook the rice in a whole lot of water. As I mentioned previously, you may use all water, or use a combination of water with chicken broth, veggie broth, beef broth, or even bone broth. For every 1 cup of glutinous rice, you will need 12 cups of water or other cooking liquid.

Check the consistency and decide if it needs more liquid to thin, or a longer cooking time, to thicken. Note — The longer you simmer your congee, the less visible, or well-defined the rice grains will appear.

Season and serve. Enjoy your rice porridge plain, or garnish this cherished comfort food with all your favorite condiments. This Chinese rice porridge is a popular recipe often served for breakfast, lunch, or even dinner.

As congee sits and cools, you will notice that it also thickens as the rice grains continue to soak up excess water. Just as this is normal whenever noodles are added to chicken soup, it is also normal in the case of congee.