Chicken Congee¶

An expert Chinese chef’s tip for making the smoothest congee¶

Whisking the congee is our secret for making restaurant-quality congee that’s full-bodied and almost-creamy. This technique will help break down more of the rice grains and let those starches out to thicken the congee. If it gets too thick at any point, you can always thin it out by adding some boiling water.

• Prep: 20 minutes

• Total time: 60 minutes

Ingredients (4 servings)¶

Congee¶

• 1 rice cup white rice (a “rice cup” is about 3/4 of a standard US cup. Jasmine rice is preferred but any white rice will work!)

• 8 cup water

• 0.50 oz ginger

Additional Seasonings¶

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp chicken bouillon (optional)

Chicken Marinade¶

• 12 oz chicken (use any amount you want)

• 2 tsp cornstarch

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce

• 2 tbsp water

• 0.50 tsp chicken bouillon

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Garnishes¶

• 2 pieces green onion

• 1 piece cilantro (to taste so for us that means ZERO)

Directions¶

1. Wash rice - start by washing our rice (1 rice cup) in a bowl:

   • Fill the bowl with some water

   • Massage and mix the rice around with your hands

   • Drain the water

   • repeat this 3 times, for good measure

   • It may seem counterintuitive to rinse rice that’s just going to be cooked down in water, but this is an essential step! Washing the grains not only removes dirt, but also excess starch that can lead to gummy, sticky congee.

2. Boil water, chop veggies

   • To save some time, we’ll start boiling some water (8 cup) for later. For jook / congee recipes, the water-to-rice ratio is usually very high. In this recipe, it’s 8-to-1.

   • chop our ginger (0.50 oz) into thin slices, and then into thin strips.

   • Chop a few strands of cilantro (1 piece) and green onion (2 pieces) into small pieces.

3. Prepare chicken

   • Cut the chicken (12 oz) into thin slices and place it in a bowl to marinate.

   • Add

     • oyster sauce (1 tbsp)

     • cornstarch (2 tsp)

     • chicken bouillon (0.50 tsp)

     • water (2 tbsp)

     Mix and massage the chicken and the marinade together for 30 seconds until there’s no liquid left. Then, add vegetable oil (2 tbsp) to the bowl and mix it around with chopsticks for another 20 to 30 seconds.

   The cornstarch helps glue the flavors to the chicken, and lock the juices inside the meat. The oil helps prevent the chicken from clumping together, and also helps seal the juices inside the chicken as well.

   Note

   Chef’s Tip: Before cutting, place a towel underneath your board to increase its stability, and decrease the chances that you’ll accidentally cut yourself.

4. Start boiling rice

   • Pour the boiled water (8 cup) from earlier into a pot, set on high heat, and wait for the pot to boil before adding the rice (1 rice cup). It’s important not to add the rice before the pot starts boiling.

   • Once the pot (water only) is boiling, add the rice and stir it around a bit.

   Tip

   Don’t stir the rice once the pot is boiling yet again, otherwise it will be more likely to stick to the bottom of the pot.

   • We’ll cover the pot (water and rice) and wait until it’s boiling again.

5. Cover pot and wait

   • Once the pot is boiling again, we’ll partially cover the pot and let it cook at medium heat for 25 minutes.

   • Depending on what “medium heat” is for your stove, you might need to cook it for longer than that.

6. Whisk rice

   • Once we’ve hit 25 minutes, we can either proceed with this step or cook it for longer.

   • You may need to cook it for another 10 minutes longer depending on the medium heat from your stove. The grains of rice should not be hard.

   • Anyway, if you’re happy with where your rice is at, start whisking the pot rapidly and constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. This helps speed up the cooking time, and helps break down the rice into smaller, fluffier pieces.

   • If you don’t have a whisk, you’ll need to cook for another 10 to 20 minutes but just go out and buy one. It makes this dish so much better.

7. Cook the chicken

   • Set the stove to high heat, and slowly add the chicken over the course of 30 to 60 seconds, stirring constantly as you go. Do not add it all at once, as it will clump up.

   • Stir the chicken around for another 1 to 2 minutes. Once the pot is boiling again, check to see that the chicken is cooked through.

8. Add seasonings, ginger

   • Almost there! Add the strips of ginger, as well as salt (1 tsp) and chicken bouillon (1 tsp). Stir everything around for 20 to 30 seconds.

9. Plate, garnish, enjoy!

   • Turn off the heat, and pour the jook into your favorite bowl. Garnish with the green onions and cilantro (eww).

   • Call your loved ones over - it’s time to eat!

ref: Made with Lau