Congee
726kcal55g protein20.8g fat80g carbs~$3.74/ serving*Estimates computed from the ingredient list; cost uses average US supermarket prices. Not a substitute for packaging measurements or your receipt.
Contains sesame, soy · usually contains gluten · only in an optional ingredient: egg, peanut
Restrictions
Containssesame · soyIt is in an ingredient you cannot leave out.
Usually containsgluten (soy sauce → Tamari)The usual version has it. One without it exists — it is the one named here.
Only if you add itegg (eggs) · peanut (peanuts)Leave that ingredient out and the dish does not have it.
Diets
No porkNo alcohol
Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.
Ingredients
Servings:
| 1 cup |  rice (long-grain or jasmine, rinsed well) |
| 6 cup |  chicken stock |
| 3 cup | water |
| 2 tbsp |  ginger (thick coins, smashed) |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| 1 lb |  chicken (thighs, whole, poached in the pot) |
| 3 unit |  scallions (sliced) |
| 1 tbsp |  soy sauce (at the table) |
| 1 tsp |  sesame oil (at the table) |
Optional
Not counted above. The dish works without them.
| 1 tbsp |  chili crisp |
| ¼ cup |  peanuts (fried or roasted) |
| 2 unit |  eggs (soft-boiled, halved into the bowl) |
Steps
- Prep5 minrice rinsed — or rinsed and frozen overnightrinsed until the water runs nearly clear; the named shortcut is to rinse, drain, and FREEZE the rice overnight — ice crystals rupture every grain, and frozen rice collapses into porridge in half the time, a trick worth the planning on any congee you saw coming
- Boil5 minrice + stock + water + ginger, brought up togethereverything to a boil in a tall pot — tall because congee spits like a geyser at a hard boil, which is also why it never stays at one
- Simmer60 minlow, lid ajar, chicken in whole, stirred more as it thickensdropped to a bare burble with the thighs poaching in it — stir occasionally at first, then constantly toward the end as the starch releases and the bottom wants to catch; the target is grains blown open into silk, a porridge that mounds softly off a spoon. The thighs come out when cooked, get shredded, and go back in
- Season3 minsalt at the end, thickness adjustedsalted only now — congee reduces unpredictably and early salt overshoots — and thinned with hot water to preference; Cantonese jook runs silky-loose, other tables like a spoon to stand a moment
- Top3 minthe bar: scallion, soy, sesame oil, and whatever the fridge holdseach bowl dressed at the table — scallions, a thread of soy, drops of sesame oil, then the open field: chili crisp, peanuts, a soft egg, yesterday's roast chicken. The porridge is deliberately quiet; the toppings are the conversation, which is why congee is what half a continent makes from leftovers