On Saturday, just like the Prince song, it actually snowed in April (albeit the tiniest bit! but yes please let me be a little dramatic!), which means the sunny, warm days I wrote about last week already feel like a very distant dream ago. This sudden reappearance of the grey-cold means my body is disappointed, confused and somewhat discombobulated. Even though I knew it was too early to call, the appearance of the Sun meant I eagerly, impatiently and so very excitedly took off my cosy winter mode electric blanket and sent my puffer jacket off to the dry cleaners. How silly of me! I’ve lived in this city, this country, for so many years but somehow my blind seasonal optimism manages to fool me every time.
To soften the blow of this meteorological deception I’ve been making and eating a lot of congee aka rice porridge to help me make it through this last slog of winter that is trying to pass itself off as Spring! It’s hard to decide what I like about it the most. I think for the most part it’s a texture thing. During the cold, dark, days, weeks, and months of my life, both literal and figurative, I find myself yearning for all the things I ate as a child. Rice porridge is soft, warm baby food at its best. These disorienting, precarious times call for the most comforting nourishment possible and for me, rice porridge is always what the doctor orders. It also holds a special place in my heart because it’s like this magical cross-cultural love language that links so many Asian cultures together, with each having its own version. In Japan, we call it okayu, to the Chinese it’s called congee, in Korea, jook, bubur in Indonesia, lugaw in the Philippines, it’s poetic simplicity, the result of just rice and water makes it truly food for a/the people. What differentiates these different kinds of rice porridge tends to mostly be the toppings and the broth used to make it. Think of the porridge as the most versatile of things! A blank slate if you wish and everything you add to it is your design!
Even though I make mine in my rice cooker (I think getting a rice cooker is truly a life hack/life-changing purchase!) please don’t let that put you off if you don’t have one!
Below is a foolproof version to cook it either way:
Basic Rice Porridge aka congee/okayu/juk/etc.
The best rice to use: In my experience, the more ‘starchy’ kind of rice like short/medium japonica rice or jasmine will give it a super smooth and silky texture which is ideal for this.
How much water to use: The liquid ratio is personal to everyone I like my congee a little thicker so I like to stick to a 1:7 ratio, 1:8 if I want it a little juicier. So that’s 1 cup of rice to 7/8/9 cups of water, whatever your preference becomes over time. I like to use some chicken stock or Japanese dashi for flavour instead of just water but that is totally optional.
Before cooking: Wash the rice in a sieve or just in the saucepan/pot you end up using and drain, don’t overwash as you want to keep the starch content.
If cooking on the stove: Using your prefered rice to liquid ratio mentioned above, put your rice on the stove and bring it to a boil. Stir every now and again to stop the rice from sticking to the bottom. When you are happy with the consistency, season here with salt to your taste if you want!
If cooking with a rice cooker: Add your rice and liquid to the rice cooker. I would recommend starting with 8 cups of liquid. This sometimes also depends on your rice cooker, so you may need to experiment. Close the lid and if your rice cooker has a porridge setting, use that! If not just press cook and cook for one cycle. When it's done, you can open it up and see if it has thickened to the consistency you like. If it's still watery, cook for another cycle. If it's too thick, you can always add more liquid and stir. It should thin out to the consistency you prefer. Season with salt to your taste!
My favourite toppings: soft boiled/fried egg, sauteed greens, fried garlic/onions, kimchi, chopped spring onions, white fish fried in ginger, any pickle, creamed corn, any pulses in any form, grated cheese….this list could go on! Here is a fun thread of topping suggestions from across the diaspora, someone on here said their grandma eats her’s with bugles (those fun triangle-shaped corn chips!) so truly anything goes! Mine pictured above is topped with baked chickpeas in harissa/garlic, a soft boiled egg and some chopped spring onions!
Whether you’re making this for yourself, sharing or specifically for someone else in sickness or in health, this magical dish is nothing short of the purest form of love.
So on that note, bon appetite!
With love, care and always tenderness,
naomi x
I'm going to try this, never had congee but its similar concept of soft, plain , comforting m, easy to digest food called kitchari that they cook in ayurveda. Let's treat ourselves like children more often I suppose. Food is nurturing 🥰
I cherish you and your words! Thank you for this! Definitely gonna make !