Photo: Marcus
Dealing with a Covid infection this week and broadcasting from home and one of my FAVORITE things to make when I'm sick is Chinese Rice Porridge (aka Jook or Congee). We are blessed at my house to have a full in-law unit that I can retreat to and isolate from the family, plus it has a full kitchen so here we go! On the way out, I packed a bag for a week and loaded up all the simple ingredients in my Instantpot to make a bunch of this to sustain me through my isolation. This soup is over 1000 years old and is really simple to make. The combination of bone broth, fresh ginger, and broken down rice makes it really good for gut health, digestion, and overall wellness when you aren't feeling 100 percent yourself. Since it is relatively simple at it's base (literally chicken, rice, and ginger) it needs flavorings and toppings added to truly take it over the top. I usually like sliced green onions and soy sauce, but you can add all manner of things. It's all about what you like! I've already talked about how simple it is (I actually made it during the show...don't tell Producer Jason), you're gonna be amazed. Be sure to add water or reduce down to the thickness of your choice. Typically, it should be the same consistency as oatmeal. Enjoy!
JOOK AKA CONGEE (CHINESE RICE PORRIDGE)
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 mins
Servings: 8-10
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups white rice, rinsed
- 3 chicken hindquarters (legs and thighs). You can remove skin but it's not necessary.
- 1-2 tablespoons of fresh ginger (peeled and julienned)
- approx 10 cups water
- chopped green onion
- soy sauce
DIRECTIONS:
- Rinse your rice thoroughly. This means adding cold water and agitating it buy swirling it around with your hands(I do it right in the instant pot)about 4-5 times before draining out the excess water.
- Julienne your ginger. Here's how:
- Add chicken quarters (you can also cut them each into a leg and thigh if you want), ginger, and water up to the 12 cup mark on the Instantpot.
- Set a 40 min cook time on the instant pot with the full 20 min natural release
- Pull the chicken and shred the meat and skin from the bones. The meat should be nice and tender by now and you may be able to do this right in the pot. Put the meat back in the pot.
- Check the thickness of the congee. If it's too thick, add some water. If it's too thin, let it simmer accordingly. it's up to you.
- Serve with sliced green onions and soy sauce. You can also go nuts and add fried garlic, crispy shallots, garlic chili oil or all manner of different things. Enjoy!