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Congee (Jook / Kayu / Cháo)
Chinese · China

Congee (Jook / Kayu / Cháo)

Rice porridge — made by cooking rice in a large volume of water or stock until the grains break down into a smooth, thick, silky mass — is the most universal breakfast food of East and Southeast Asia, known as congee (English/Cantonese jook), kayu (Japanese), cháo (Vietnamese), xi fan (Mandarin), chok (Thai), and lugaw (Filipino). The technique is deceptively simple but the distinctions matter: Cantonese-style jook is cooked with a high water-to-rice ratio (10:1) and stirred constantly to break the grains completely into a smooth, glossy, neutral porridge that receives toppings; Japanese okayu uses 5:1 ratio and retains more grain texture; Thai chok is somewhere between; Vietnamese cháo is typically made with stock and ginger and served as a congee soup. The toppings and seasonings transform the same neutral base into the specific cultural experience: Cantonese jook with century egg and pork; Japanese okayu with pickled plum and nori; Vietnamese cháo with ginger, scallion, and fish sauce.

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Serves4
Total90 min
Sourced2of 11 in BC
Cook
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I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

200g
jasmine rice
Your own market
1.2 litres
vegetable stock (or water)
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
100g
shiitake mushrooms
sliced
Your own market
50g
oyster mushrooms
sliced
Your own market
30g
fresh ginger
peeled, julienned
Origin · New ZealandPurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
3
dried shiitake mushrooms
rehydrated, sliced
Your own market
30ml
light soy sauce (tamari for wheat-free)
Purely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
5ml
sesame oil
Your own market
2
spring onions
thinly sliced
Your own market
5g
white pepper
Your own market
10g
Sichuan pepper corns
optional
Origin · MexicoNot yet stocked in British Columbia

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

II

The Method

1
Rinse jasmine rice under cold water until water runs clear; drain thoroughly.
2
Bring 1.2 litres stock to rolling boil in heavy-bottomed pot; add rinsed rice and stir once.
3
Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice breaks down into creamy consistency.
4
Sauté fresh and rehydrated mushrooms with ginger in 5ml sesame oil over medium-high heat for 3 minutes.
5
Fold mushroom mixture and cooking liquid into congee; season with 30ml tamari and white pepper.
6
Simmer uncovered 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until silky texture achieved; adjust consistency with additional stock if needed.
7
Ladle into bowls; garnish with spring onion and Sichuan pepper corns (if using).
From the canon — Sichuan pepper — hua jiao (flower pepper) — is not pepper at all but the dried husk of the berry of the prickly ash tree (Zanthoxylum simulans or Z. Sichuan Pepper (Hua Jiao): Toasting, Grinding, and the Ma Experience →
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Where it lives or dies. Briefly soaking the rice in salted water and then freezing the damp grains before cooking produces a congee with a silkier, more broken-down texture in less cooking time — the ice crystals damage the cell walls and accelerate breakdown For the richest mushroom depth: use a combination of dried porcini and dried shiitake; the porcini's umami is different from and complementary to the shiitake's Served with you tiao (Chinese fried dough sticks), which are dipped in the congee and eaten for breakfast, congee is one of Asia's greatest morning preparations
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The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Guilin Sanhua Baijiu (Three-Flower)
Guilin Sanhua · Guangdong
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Baijiu
From British Columbia

Nothing from British Columbia holds against this yet.

Without alcohol

No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.

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The whole pairing
Pillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance

The hands behind the plate.

Purely Artisan Foods
San Diego · fresh ginger, light soy sauce (tamari for wheat-free)
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