Hello there,
I’ve cooked congee (jook) many times. Tonight, I’m sharing a couple of versions for readers to consider. The recipes are identical apart from the meat used.
I went with chicken for one version, and for the other, I went with pork.
Regular readers may notice that I’m doing something different with these recipes. I’m using more liquid to approach the texture and consistency of Mum’s jook. I usually cook my congee to a thicker consistency. Still, I know many people who like something a little less dense. I’m also using porcini mushrooms for a flavour burst to give greater umami. If I had easy access, I would substitute dried scallops for the mushrooms. The other ingredient I’d like to add is wood ear mushroom for the mouthfeel.
Recipe
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- White long-grain rice (1 cup)
- Chicken stock (8 cups [2 L]) (you could also use a vegan broth)
- Porcini mushrooms
- Mushroom water (1 cup [250 mL])
- Chicken (3 maryland[i] pieces) (you could omit this for a vegan version or exchange it with a slab of pork belly for a porcine version)
- Salt
- Spring onions
- Chilli flakes
Instructions
- Reconstitute the dried mushrooms with hot water and wait for 30 minutes
- Wash the rice until the water runs clear
- Add the rice, stock, and mushroom water to the pressure cooker
- Cut the mushrooms into small pieces
- Add mushroom pieces, chicken maryland pieces, or pork belly into the pressure cooker.
- Cook under pressure for 30 minutes and allow 15 minutes for a natural release of pressure
- Carefully remove the meat and transfer it to a bowl
- Pull the flesh (from the bones of the chicken) using forks
- Discard the bones if using chicken
- Stir the rice gruel and keep heating to the desired thickness
- Stir through the pulled meat
- Salt to taste
- Add and stir through chilli flakes to taste
- Transfer everything to a large serving bowl
- Transfer congee to individual bowls
- Give thanks to the Lord
- Serve with spring onions, shredded lettuce, and soy sauce
Thoughts on the recipe and meal
- If I were cooking for more than just me, I’d use a whole chicken or more thigh pieces and perhaps add a carcass. Sometimes I see necks and giblets on sale, which would also be suitable for flavour.
- If you like a nice bit of pork, I recommend butt, which is shoulder and not gluteal muscle.
- This dish is vegan if you remove the meat and use a vegan stock.
- When I was a child, we had shredded lettuce, ham, and soy sauce to add to our bowls.
- Each recipe makes five large bowls of congee.
[i] For non-Australian readers, the chicken maryland is a thigh and drumstick piece in Australia. I know chicken maryland is a dish in the USA, and Maryland is a state of the union.
Your jook looks fantastic, Gaz. Adding mushrooms did sound like it added a greater umami flavour. I really like jook if it’s done, well, the way I like it which is usually buttery smooth, more liquid over dense most of the time. Growing up, jook in my Chinese family usually had century egg which is typical for Chinese jook.
I think my taste is changing with jook. I’ve gone for something stiffer in the past, but now the smoother, lighter version has grabbed my attention. I should try jook with a century egg.
Enjoy more smoother, lighter versions of jook, Gaz. I think you like century egg if you’ve not tried it before. It’s odd I can’t see your comment in my notifications. But I see I can reply in the reader 😄
WordPress comments are a bit flaky on this blog, and I can’t get to the bottom of it.
Your comments are now appearing in my notifications bell. So strange and maybe it will fix itself at some stage 😂
I bet you enjoyed both versions Gary. I would love one without meat of course but I def have to put in a bit of spice like the chilli and spring onions you put in otherwise I find it a bit bland. I guess adding some fab bok choi or similar would be great too.
You’re right Sue. I think the mushrooms give a kick of umami, and some other aromatics like onions and perhaps even fennel might add something. Leafy green vegetables like book choi go well too.
I love all the different things you can do to the leftovers, and also note the leftovers are back to your preferred consistency 🙂
Thanks, Beck 🙂
Both versions look comforting and delicious! It’s getting chillier here, so congee would be a perfect dish.
Both versions look comforting and delicious! It’s getting a little chillier here now, so this would be perfect for the winter months.
I like how a small bowl of congee seems to sit in my stomach and provide a central source of warmth for my body.
Years ago, I went through a phase of making myself a veggie congee for breakfast every day and it felt far more nutritious than cereal, toast etcetera. A great dish for these constrained times.
Hi Emma, I know it’s usually a breakfast food. I like it as an evening meal.
The next one could be meat free.