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The serving of congee is said to be even older than rice in Chinese history. Cantonese people are very particular about the cooking of congee.
A gruel of boiled rice and water, which serves as a background for a host of other foods including fish, shrimp, chicken, peanuts, sesame seed and eggs. In China, where it's also known as jook or juk, congee is particularly popular for breakfast. In Thailand this dish is known as khao tom gung .
Rice porriges, eaten from Japan to Persia as breakfasts, snacks, and lunches, are considered warming and soothing, as well as a stabilizing influence on the stomach and digestive tract. The English word congee is derived from the Indian kanji, meaning boilings, a Tamil word for the water in which rice is boiled. In India today, kanji refers both to this "rice water" that is drained off when rice is cooked like pasta and to the thick gruel made by boiling a little rice with a lot of water.
In India, the flavorings added to porridge range from salt, ghee, black pepper, and cumin to more elaborate hot and salty pickles.
As famous cook Kasma Loha-unchit explains in his cooking lessons "Congee (Rice Porridge) for Breakfast", "a steaming bowl of rice congee revitalizes the body at breakfast and during times of illness. [...] In the Orient, unlike here, where there are specific foods identified with the morning meal, the distinction between what is eaten at breakfast, lunch or dinner is not as clear. Often, breakfast is a mini-version of lunch or dinner, and among farmers and laborers, it is just as substantial as any other meal of the day. [...] But if I had to name just one food most closely associated with breakfast, the most likely candidate would probably be rice congee. The soupy rice mixture is made either plain and served with a variety of salty, pickled and stir-fried dishes; or chicken, pork, fish or shrimp can be cooked in with the soup and flavored with garlic, ginger, scallions and cilantro. To make congee, rice is boiled in lots of water or broth until the grains have grown many times their size and are still swimming in excess fluid. The grains may also be cooked down until they completely disintegrate and become the texture of creamy rice cereal. Made either way, congee is very nutritious and highly recommended for people suffering from fatigue, digestive problems and illness. It is easy to digest and contains nutrients in ready form to be absorbed and used, thereby enabling quick revitalization of the body. What better way to "break" the "fast" of the night and begin a new day of productive activity than to partake of a vitalizing bowl of steaming rice soup!". (Copyright © 2000 Kasma Loha-unchit)
The serving of congee is said to be even older than rice in Chinese history. Cantonese people are very particular about the cooking of congee.
A gruel of boiled rice and water, which serves as a background for a host of other foods including fish, shrimp, chicken, peanuts, sesame seed and eggs. In China, where it's also known as jook or juk, congee is particularly popular for breakfast. In Thailand this dish is known as khao tom gung .
Rice porriges, eaten from Japan to Persia as breakfasts, snacks, and lunches, are considered warming and soothing, as well as a stabilizing influence on the stomach and digestive tract. The English word congee is derived from the Indian kanji, meaning boilings, a Tamil word for the water in which rice is boiled. In India today, kanji refers both to this "rice water" that is drained off when rice is cooked like pasta and to the thick gruel made by boiling a little rice with a lot of water.
In India, the flavorings added to porridge range from salt, ghee, black pepper, and cumin to more elaborate hot and salty pickles.
As famous cook Kasma Loha-unchit explains in his cooking lessons "Congee (Rice Porridge) for Breakfast", "a steaming bowl of rice congee revitalizes the body at breakfast and during times of illness. [...] In the Orient, unlike here, where there are specific foods identified with the morning meal, the distinction between what is eaten at breakfast, lunch or dinner is not as clear. Often, breakfast is a mini-version of lunch or dinner, and among farmers and laborers, it is just as substantial as any other meal of the day. [...] But if I had to name just one food most closely associated with breakfast, the most likely candidate would probably be rice congee. The soupy rice mixture is made either plain and served with a variety of salty, pickled and stir-fried dishes; or chicken, pork, fish or shrimp can be cooked in with the soup and flavored with garlic, ginger, scallions and cilantro. To make congee, rice is boiled in lots of water or broth until the grains have grown many times their size and are still swimming in excess fluid. The grains may also be cooked down until they completely disintegrate and become the texture of creamy rice cereal. Made either way, congee is very nutritious and highly recommended for people suffering from fatigue, digestive problems and illness. It is easy to digest and contains nutrients in ready form to be absorbed and used, thereby enabling quick revitalization of the body. What better way to "break" the "fast" of the night and begin a new day of productive activity than to partake of a vitalizing bowl of steaming rice soup!". (Copyright © 2000 Kasma Loha-unchit)
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