Chinese · Free recipe
Ginger Rice Congee
A small cup of jasmine rice breaks down over slow heat into a silky, soothing porridge with plenty of fresh ginger in the pot. Spoon it into bowls and let everyone add their own soy, sesame oil, scallions, and crisp fried shallots for texture.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 30 min
- Total
- 1 hr 40 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
Method
-
Drain the rinsed rice well, toss it with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and let it sit for 10 minutes; this helps the grains break down faster.
-
Bring the stock and ginger coins to a boil in a large heavy pot, add the rice, and stir so nothing sticks to the bottom.
-
Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, set the lid ajar, and cook for 75 to 90 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and scraping the bottom, until the grains have burst and the congee is thick and creamy.
-
Add splashes of hot water if it thickens too much; it should pour slowly off a ladle, like loose oatmeal.
-
Fish out the ginger coins, stir in the chicken if using along with the remaining salt, and heat through for 3 minutes.
-
Ladle into bowls and top with ginger matchsticks, scallions, a few drops of soy sauce and sesame oil, white pepper, and fried shallots.
Zest note from the test kitchen
Freeze the rinsed, drained rice for an hour before cooking; the ice crystals crack the grains and cut the simmering time nearly in half.
