Try a simple traditional porridge made with rice and chicken stock.
This traditional Chinese dish is commonly served for breakfast. But I like it as a warm, comforting dinner on a chilly night. The plain congee has a mild flavor – a terrific cure when you are under the weather. Consider it a base to build on. Add bits of meat or veg or a few shrimp, or keep it light with a poached egg or just a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.
Made with just chicken bones and rice, this savory porridge is a delicious breakfast, warming lunch, or light dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken carcass
- 1 ¼ cups uncooked brown rice
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, bring the carcass and 3 quarts of water to a gentle simmer. Continue to simmer for at least 2 and up to 6 hours.
- Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Remove any meat from the carcass and set aside. Discard the bones. Skim the fat off the stock and reserve for another use.
- Wipe out the pot and return the stock to it. You should have about 2 quarts.
- Add the brown rice, cover, and simmer until the rice bursts and thickens, or “flowers” as it’s called, and the congee has the consistency of porridge, about 2 hours.
- Return the chicken to the congee, if you like, and add any seasonings or additional ingredients that you have on hand.
- Serve immediately or store, cooled, covered, and refrigerated, for 2 to 3 days. Congee will absorb liquid as it cools.
- Reheat over low heat, adding liquid to thin the congee to its original consistency.
Notes
Used with permission. From Eat It Up! 150 Recipes to Use Every Bit and Enjoy Every Bote of the Food You Buy by Sherri Brooks Vinton, Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2016.
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