Almost all cultures who eat rice as a staple has a version of congee. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that adding more water to the cooking pot is a great way to stretch the budget during lean times. The extended cooking time also makes the rice easier to digest for babies, the elderly and the sick. While congee is a food most often associated with East Asian cuisine, the word itself, one may be surprised to find, actually comes from the Tamil word kanji, to boil.
In some cultures, congee is only eaten when one is sick, while in some, it can be enjoyed any time of the day, any time of the year. In fact, in Hong Kong and Macau, and by extension in some Western cities with a large Asian population, there are restaurants that specializes in congee. They may offer some other dishes to accompany the congee to make it a more substantial meal, such as fried doughs and noodles, but their menus are made up of dozens of varieties of congee, with ingredients from lowly offals to pricy seafood. Whatever the toppings, the reviews of the restaurants boil down to: is the rice in the congee cooked properly? Is it creamy and rich?
Anyway, today I made some vegetables congee to use up some lettuce, which is not as tender as we'd like. When making congee at home, you can boil the rice grains from scratch, or use leftover cooked rice for a head start. I use a white rice/brown rice mix, so it isn't as creamy, but healthier. You can add whatever veggies you like, mushrooms, greens, carrots, corn, pumpkin are the most common options. Kimchi and other pickled vegetables, added to the bowl when serving, add a lot of flavors as well.
How much water to add? That depends on whether you like it thick or thin, the ration usually is 1 cup of (uncooked) rice to 8-12 cups of water. If you are unsure, start with less water as it's very easy to thin down by adding more water later on.
One note of warning: if you are cooking congee on a stove top, it's very easy to boil over, just like oatmeal, and a pain to clean up. So keep a close eye and keep the heat on low once it boils. Don't walk away till you adjust the heat to the point where it's actively simmering without the bubbles rising. And after that, stir the pot occasionally to make sure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom and burn. Sounds like a pain? So yes, that's why for many Asians it's considered a labor of love, and the memory of mom bringing them a bowl of congee is such comforting memory.
Lettuce Congee
- Water ratio: usually congee is made with a 1:8-12 ratio of rice to water. If you are unsure how thick you want it, start with less water as it's easy to making it thinner by adding water any time during cooking.
- Boiling: keep a close eye as you bring the rice and water to a boil, as it's easy to boil over. Don't walk away till you adjust the heat to the point where it's actively simmering without the bubbles rising. And after that, stir the pot occasionally to make sure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom and burn.
Ingredients
* 1/2 cup uncooked rice
* 6-8 romaine lettuce leaves
* 1/2 cup frozen corn
* 1/2 cup diced carrot
* 3-4 shiitake mushrooms, fresh, or rehydrated
* 1/2 tsp mushroom powder
* 1 thin slice of ginger
* scallion or cilantro for garnish
Directions
1. Rinse rice, add to pot with 4-5 cups of water. Gently bring to a boil while keeping close watch not to boil over. Once boiling, reduce heat, partially cover pot and find the sweet spot where it's actively simmering but not rising. Then you can leave the rice to cook on its own.
2. Slice mushroom, cut ginger into narrow stripes. Add to the congee. Cook for 30 - 60 minutes. The longer you cook the creamier it is. Stir occasionally to make sure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom and burn.
3. Wash lettuce, trim off ends, roll tightly and cut into very thin slivers. Rinse frozen corn.
3. When congee is ready, add carrot and cook for 5 minutes. Add corn and lettuce, stir to mix. Add mushroom powder. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Garnish with cilantro.
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