Cantonese Jook (White Congee) — The Plain Version as Benchmark

Ingredients

• 200 g short-grain rice
• 2–3 litres water, ratio 1:10 to 1:15 by volume of rice
• For soaking
• 1 pinch fine salt
• a few drops sesame oil
• To serve (accompaniments)
• as required yau tiao (fried dough sticks), broken into pieces
• as required pao cai (pickled vegetables)
• as required peanuts
• as required fermented tofu

Method

1. 1
   Place the rice in a bowl with the pinch of salt and a few drops of sesame oil. Cover with cold water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain. The grains will appear slightly opaque and swollen.
2. 2
   Transfer the drained rice to a large, heavy-based pot. Add water in a ratio of 1:10 to 1:15 (rice to water by volume). Bring to a vigorous boil over high heat.
3. 3
   Reduce the heat to the lowest possible simmer. Stir regularly throughout cooking to prevent the rice from settling and adhering to the base of the pot. Continue for a minimum of 60–90 minutes. This is where the dish lives or dies: insufficient heat, too little water, or too short a cooking time will leave gummy, incompletely broken grains rather than a smooth, velvety porridge.
4. 4
   The congee is ready when no distinguishable grains remain. Draw a spoon slowly across the surface: it should register perceptible weight and resistance — the Cantonese ideal of nong ru si, thick as silk. The surface is smooth and slightly shiny.
5. 5
   Ladle into deep bowls. Arrange accompaniments — yau tiao, pao cai, peanuts, fermented tofu — alongside or on the table for each diner to take as they wish. The congee is the vehicle; the accompaniments are the seasoning.