Congee is a porridge that’s essentially just made of extremely saturated rice—it’s the ultimate form of comfort. It’s often served with Chinese crullers, which aren’t too sweet, and I love the texture that they add.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 4 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- Neutral oil, such vegetable
- 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
- 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced in half lengthwise
- 1 cup (230g) jasmine rice
- 7 cups (1680g) chicken broth or vegetable broth
- Kosher salt
- Sauteed Greens, recipe follows
- Toasted sesame seed oil
- Sriracha
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Crullers, recipe follows
- 2 1/4 cups (300g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (120g) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, softened but not melted
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 3 quarts neutral oil for frying, such as vegetable
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as vegetable
- 3 dried red chili peppers (such as chili d’arbol), stemmed
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 bunches (1 1/2 to 2 pounds) mustard greens, rinsed and stems removed, roughly chopped
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- Toasted white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sweat the shallot and ginger, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the rice and broth. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover. Cook until the rice has broken down and the mixture is thick and porridge-like, about 1 hour. Stir with a rubber spatula occasionally so the bottom doesn’t stick. Remove the ginger and season to taste.
- Divide the congee into bowls. Top with a pile of Sauteed Greens (recipe follows), a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, a drizzle of sriracha and a couple turns of black pepper. Serve with Crullers (recipe follows) on the side.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Add the buttermilk, coconut oil and egg and knead with the dough hook for 7 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Wrap with plastic and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator 1 hour before ready to use and allow to come to room temperature.
- Heat the neutral oil in a heavy bottomed pot to 375 degrees F.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 20-by-6-inch rectangle that is about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 12 vertical strips just over an inch wide, then cut each strip in half horizontally. Layer one half on top of the other and using a chopstick, press down in the center to adhere. Cover with plastic while you shape the others.
- When the oil is up to temperature, take one piece of dough and, holding both ends, stretch gently to triple the length (it should stretch very easily). Drop in the oil and fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side, or until lightly golden and puffy, gently turning with a spider. Remove to a rack and repeat in batches of 2 or 3, allowing oil to come back to temperature between each batch.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the dried chili peppers and garlic and toss around, cooking until fragrant and lightly toasty, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mustard greens, a big pinch of salt and a couple turns of black pepper and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until wilted, tender, and bright green. Add the sesame oil, rice vinegar and sesame seeds. Toss to combine.
Reviews
Congee, where have you been all my life? So easy and comforting. I also skipped the crullers (who’s got the patience for dealing with frying and the mess / leftover oil?) but I made the greens. I used collards because my lame store had no mustard greens. Came out great.
Love it! Simple to make warm and filling. I didn’t make the cruellers either, no gluten for me either.
I made this twice already, it’s a great breakfast. Added some chinese sausage the 2nd time.
I made this twice already, it’s a great breakfast. Added some chinese sausage the 2nd time.
Oh my! This is really good and so simple. I am a person with a lot of food sensitivities, this is a great GF option. My new go to side! Yum! I didn’t make the crawlers. Since I can’t do gluten. But the Conge is really good.