Congee (Chinese Rice Porridge, 粥)

A versatile comfort food

Although a simple and humble dish, congee plays an important role in the diet of Chinese families. It’s consumed on its own or with pairing dishes at breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack time.

I think many Chinese people would agree with me that a bowl of congee is the ultimate comfort food that you often crave when feeling nostalgia or under the weather. Although not medically therapeutic, it can give you a sense of healing.

A wide variety of congee dishes exist in China (and other Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, Cambodia, etc.). It can be plain (with or without toppings, seasonings), savoury with added proteins and veggies, or sweet with beans, nuts and sweet root vegetables.

This post provides essential information on making basic plain congee ( with a shortcut bonus). It also includes tips on how to go one step further and make flavoured congee dishes.

What type of rice to use?

Any type of white rice, except for basmati, is suitable for congee. Chinese or Japanese short-grain rice and Thai long-grain jasmine rice are all good choices.
Glutinous rice (aka sweet rice) can be mixed with white rice, but it shouldn’t be used on its own to make this dish. You may use brown rice but it’s not a traditional choice for Chinese congee.

Can I use cooked rice?

In theory, you could use cooked rice to make congee. It’s much quicker than making congee with raw rice. That said, I wouldn’t recommend you do so (especially if this is the first time you make congee) as the taste won’t be as fresh or fragrant. By the way, leftover rice is best to be used for fried rice.

Rice-to-water ratio (by volume)

Unlike making steamed rice, you’d need quite a lot of water for congee. First of all, the rice grains soak up more water. Secondly, it takes a long time to break down the grains thus you’d need enough water to compensate for the evaporation loss.

If you ask a Chinese home cook about the ideal rice-to-water ratio for congee, they would probably roll their eyes and tell you “I don’t know”. There isn’t a scientific method for making congee and everyone has their own preferred consistency.

Instead of a fixed ratio (by volume), I’d like to recommend a range: for 1 cup of uncooked rice, you’d need 8 to 10 cups of water. In Northern regions of China, people tend to use less water while in southern China, e.g. in Canton, more water is used as they like creamier congee which requires more cooking time.

To test out your preference, start with the 1:8 ratio. If towards the end the consistency becomes too dense but the grains are not as soft as you expect, add a little hot water and cook longer.

Do I need to rinse the rice?

You don’t have to rinse the rice unless instructions on the rice package advise you to do so. Most, if not all, mass-produced rice doesn’t have debris and the surface starch has been partially removed.

That said, please feel free to rinse if you wish. But remember not to overdo it as you’d need some starch for a creamy congee.

Is pre-soaking necessary?

Soaking isn’t necessary. It only slightly reduces the cooking time. If you’d like to speed things up, check out the freezing method in the next section.

How to cook basic congee?

Step 1: In a pot or large saucepan, bring water to a full boil then add the rice. Once the water comes back to a full boil. Stir the rice then turn the heat to the lowest.

Step 2: When the water calms down to a very gentle simmer, cover the pot with a lid (make sure the heat remains minimum and the liquid won’t boil over when covered with a lid).

Step 3: Leave to cook for 35 to 40 minutes. During the process, stir a few times in case the rice sticks to the bottom. Observe the consistency and turn off the heat when it reaches your preferred texture.

Optional step: You may serve it right away, or if you prefer a smoother consistency, use a whisk to vigorously stir the congee. This helps to break the rice grains further thus creating a more creamy and silky texture.

Pro Tips:

• Prolong the cooking time to fix a watery congee. Add a little more hot water to rescue an overly thick congee.
• Remember that congee thickens while it cools down, so if you plan to serve it a while later, stop cooking before it reaches your desired consistency.
• This recipe is done in a regular stovetop saucepan. You can also use a dutch oven, clay pot (donabe), etc. Adjust the cooking time as needed.
• Rice cookers and instant pots are good alternatives. They usually have a congee/porridge setting. You’d need a little less water using these appliances.

A Shortcut method

There is no doubt that cooking congee is a lengthy process. To reduce the cooking time, some recipes suggest that before cooking you break the rice grains, using a blender for example. I have another shortcut to offer which is more convenient and practical.

How? Freeze the rice beforehand!

Rinse the rice to make them moist then drain. Store wet rice in a container in the freezer. Take it out whenever you feel like cooking congee. Put the block of frozen rice directly into the boiling water (reduce the rice-to-water ratio to 1:6). You’d only need about 15 minutes to cook it.

Here’s why: The moisture in the wet rice expands while it freezes (since the volume of water increases below the freezing point). This causes the rice grains to crack even though you don’t notice it with the naked eye. Since I learned this technique, I’ve always stored a box of rice in the freezer. Give it a try then you’d agree this is a life-changer.

Topping ideas

I appreciate the natural subtle taste of congee so I’m very happy to enjoy it on its own. However, there is a wide range of condiments and ready-to-eat items that can be added to make your congee experience extra delicious.

Check out the following ideas. Mix and match any as you wish. There’s no limit!

• Flavourings: Light soy sauce (or tamari), sesame oil, chilli oil, scallion oil, chilli garlic sauce, black bean sauce, fermented bean curd (Fu Ru/腐乳), etc.
• Aromatics: scallions, ginger, coriander, etc.
• Pickled/preserved food: Preserved mustard stem (Zha Cai/榨菜), Chinese olive vegetables (Gan Lan Cai/橄榄菜), pickled long beans (Suan Jiang Dou/酸豇豆), etc.
• Eggs: boiled eggs, fried eggs, marbled tea eggs, salted duck eggs, or century eggs (Pi Dan/皮蛋).
• Other toppings: You Tiao (Chinese fried dough), pork floss (Rou Song/肉松), dried laver seaweed (Hai Tai/海苔), toasted peanuts, sesame seeds, etc.

How to make savoury congee?

Above are ideas for adding ready-to-eat ingredients to plain congee. You can also cook savoury congee by adding proteins and vegetables during the cooking process. My Chicken Congee recipe is a classic example (see image below).

In this case, you may use chicken stock to replace water (entirely or partially) and add any of the following ingredients:

• Raw meat and seafood: Thinly sliced, shredded or ground pork, beef or chicken; sliced fish fillet; shrimp. Add at the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.
• Cooked meat: Shredded roast chicken; diced Char Siu, etc. Stir in right after you stop cooking.
• Tofu and egg: Sliced/diced five-spice tofu, smoked tofu; century eggs. Stir in right after you stop cooking.
• Vegetables: If they’re easy to cook, e.g. shredded lettuce, finely chopped scallions, ginger, etc, add right after you stop cooking. If they need more time to cook, e.g. carrots, shiitake mushrooms, add at the last 10 minutes of cooking.
• Seasonings: Add salt, light soy sauce, sesame oil, etc. at the very end.

What to serve with congee?

Are you wondering how to incorporate congee into a meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner? Here are some classic Chinese dishes to pair:

• Savoury stuffed staples: Dumplings, Pan-fried Bao (see image above), Char Siu Bao, Cheung Fun (steamed rice noodle rolls), Fan Tuan (Stuffed sticky rice roll)
• Sweet stuffed staples: Custard Buns, Red Bean Buns
• Plain staples: Steamed Buns, Flower Rolls, Scallions Pancakes
• Any dish you’d serve with steamed rice, such as stir-fries, braised or steamed dishes
• Other food: Spring Rolls, Jian Bing (Chinese crepes)

Make congee in advance

If you plan to make congee in advance, you’d need to increase the water volume. This is because the consistency of the congee thickens over time. If the texture looks perfect right after cooking, it will be too dense the next day. For example, if you normally prefer congee cooked with a rice water ratio of 1:9, you’d need to change it to 1:10.

Store and reheat congee

If your kitchen isn’t too warm, it’s fine to leave the congee on the counter overnight. If unsure, store it in the refrigerator (up to 3 days) once it cools to room temperature.

Reheat cold congee over low heat. Stir from time to time to avoid burning at the bottom. If the texture is too thick, simply add some hot water to dilute.