Wild Rice Congee
Preparation info
Difficulty
Easy
Serves
2 to 4
Appears in
China Moon Cookbook
Published 1992
Congee is the anglicized term for what in Cantonese is called jook—the steaming bowlful of last night’s leftover rice that is turned into this morning’s porridge, with the help of some nutritious slivers of preserved fish, meat, poultry, or egg. It is a jump-start breakfast not only throughout southern China but also in outposts of Chinese eating worldwide. Indeed, Chinese far away from home think of jook with the fondness that ex-New Yorkers reserve for bagels.
This is a wild version of the classic. It heretically mixes wild and white rices, and untraditionally opts for the lushness of stock as opposed to water. It is something I love to eat when I am dog-tired. Never one for morning porridge, I like it best at dusk or midnight.
Ingredients
½ cup ⅓ cup 5 cups 1 tablespoon - Kosher salt and Roasted Szechwan Pepper-Salt, to taste
1 cup - Thinly sliced green and white scallions and/or coarsely chopped coriander leaves and stems, for garnish
- Fried Ginger Threads, for garnish
Method
- Rinse the white rice in several changes of cold water, stirring gently with your hand, until the water runs clear; drain. Rinse the wild rice in several changes of cold water; drain.
- In a heavy
2½- to 3 -quart - Reduce the heat to maintain a weak simmer, cover tightly, and cook for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, the mixture will be soupy and the wild rice will be splayed at the ends.
- Taste the rice. Season as needed with kosher salt, then add a dash or more of the pepper-salt to tingle your tongue.
- To serve, portion the congee among heated bowls of contrasting color. Top with the duck confit, scallions and/or coriander, and ginger. Set the table with deep-bowled Chinese spoons.
© 1992 All rights reserved. Published by Workman Publishing.