How to Make Congee in Rice Cooker – Complete Guide
Whenever I got sick as a kid, my mom always made me a warm and savory bowl of Congee with my favorite chicken broth. I remember the taste even now and try to replicate that same taste and warmth for my daughters that my mom used to share with me.
The good thing is the recipe is much simpler now, and you can easily make it in a rice cooker. Worry not if you don’t know how to make Congee in rice cooker, as I’ve got your back. I will share the Congee recipe with you that can be made in less than an hour.
Read below to find out:
What is Congee?
Rice porridges are a universal comfort food that everyone is familiar with. However, this one type of dish has taken different kinds of names and forms all around the world. One version of that is a Congee.
Congee originated in times as early as 10000 BC in the region around China. The word can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty in 1000 BC and is also highly popular in Tamil.
The Porridge is rice boiled in water until the rice grains absorb the water and expand to a certain degree. It is to be noted that the rice-to-water ratio matters a lot in the dish. It is often served with toppings of meat, veggies, and curry.
It is a very popular dish in the Asian region, and people love to consume it as a breakfast dish. Congee is also known as healing food as it comforts during sickness.
How to make Congee in rice cooker – steps
Can you make Congee in a rice cooker? This is a question so many people have asked me over the years. Well, although congee is a very primitive dish, with modern equipment, it is absolutely possible to make Congee in a rice cooker.
The process is very simple, and I often use this method now as it is much more convenient than cooking traditionally. Well, if you are curious about the congee recipe rice cooker, let’s not wait any longer and dive right in!
First and foremost, list down the ingredients that you will need:
- Long or short-grain rice
- Kosher salt
- Garlic and ginger
- Chicken broth
- Shredded chicken
As the recipe is very simple, these are the only few ingredients you will need. I want to specify at the very beginning, though, that my congee rice-to-water ratio will be 1:20. For every ¼ cup of rice, there will be 5 cups of water. This is so that the rice well absorbs all the water.
Next, follow these steps to start making Congee in a rice cooker:
- Clean the rice grains by washing the rice. Ensure you’re straining and washing it at least three times using a strainer.
- Take your rice cooker and deliver the rice, meat, salt, garlic, and ginger to the cooker’s bowl.
- Add water and the chicken broth according to the ratio stated above (1:20)
- Start cooking with the rice cooker’s porridge setting. If there is no porridge setting, then cook with the lid open to avoid water outpouring.
- Cook for about 50 minutes to get a medium-thick consistency.
You can keep the rice in cooking longer if you want a thicker consistency. Keeping it longer will help the rice absorb more water.
Therefore, you can easily make some congee rice porridge in a rice cooker. The recipe is fairly simple and doesn’t take very long to prepare.
Congee vs Rice porridge vs Jook: What’s the difference?
When you say that you want to make “make porridge in a rice cooker,” confusion can come up depending on the person you are talking to and their culture. For a person from China or Japan, Porridge could mean Congee. Meanwhile, to a person from a Western country, Porridge could simply mean oatmeal. Another common name often heard is a Jook.
So, what exactly is the difference between these three? Let’s take a look:
Porridge
Porridge is a broad term that is used to denote all types of rice and water-based dishes. In the West, Porridge could mean a broth-like rice water dish or simply an oatmeal. On the other hand, in East Asia, if you see Porridge, they will instantly think of a Congee, Jook, or Okayu. By Porridge, we generally understand any type of rice cooked or boiled in a liquid.
Congee
Congee originates in Asia and is a popular phenomenon now. It is more specific and typically cooked with different flavors. Meat, seafood, and veggies are also often added with Congee, which is not the case in Western versions of Porridge. Moreover, it is boiled to a greater extent in Congee to give it a sticky texture.
Jook
Jook specifically originates in Southern China and is a Cantonese name. Congee is present in many other parts of the world, and the same goes for Porridge. However, Jook is something you can only find in the Southern China region. It is most often served as a breakfast dish and is more of a savory item.
Jook is often cooked with different broths and needs overnight preparation. Meet, seafood, and other toppings are also often added to it. The recipe to make a jook is very specific.
Final Words
The world of Porridge is full of wonders. Among them, my favorite is a warm bowl of Congee. It is savory; you can eat it with your favorite sides, and it gives you comfort in the times when you need healing the most.
To give you the same feeling, I shared my easiest recipe so you know how to make Congee in a rice cooker. You can use this recipe anytime at home with the pretty simple ingredients.
Related Post:
