What is congee? Jook? Chook? Rice porridge? Rice pudding?
Someone who visited my website once wrote me asking about a recipe for a thick soup made from rice and minced pork. I was quite puzzled at first. Thick soup? with just rice and pork? What can that be? It took me a few days to realise that he meant pork congee 肉粥.
Photo source: avlxyz at flickr.
It was quite an A-HA moment because I am so familiar with it as a rice dish that it never occur to me that others might treat it as a thick soup. And why not. Thick soups made from lentil and pumpkin have similar texture and consistency.
What is the difference between congee, jook and rice porridge?
I sympathize with non-chinese speakers who need to contend with so many dialects, different transliterations and name variations found in chinese cuisine.
Congee, jook and rice porridge are basically rice cooked in a lot of water.
The most accurate English name should be rice porridge. But in various parts of china and places with overseas Chinese, there are many variations in the names as well as how the rice porridge is made and served.
Jook / Juk is the English transliteration of the Cantonese name for rice porridge. It resembles a thick soup and ingredients like minced meat or seafood are served in the porridge, making it a one-dish meal.
The proliferation of Cantonese-styled restaurants in the West also means that this is the most familiar version of rice porridge to non-chinese.
Other types of rice porridge include the Teochew (chiu chow) porridge, the hokkien porridge and the teochew fish porridge (in Singapore). There are also the Japanese okayu, the Korean juk, the Thai jok, and the Filipino lugao and the rice pudding (albeit sweet).
What about congee?
I think congee came from the Indian language because the Indians have a similar rice dish called ganji except it is supposed to be grainer and sweet. The way I see it, the British went to India and encountered ganji. Then they arrived in China and met jook. The similarity between the ganji and jook was noticed and "congee" was born(this is mere speculation, please do not cite me).
A lot of food sites and articles on the chinese rice porridge tend to use congee as an overall term to refer to all types of rice porridge. It is a catchy name compared to "chinese rice porridge".
Congee culture
Jook is a very forgiving dish. It doesn't matter if you are a great cook or a rookie. It is a wonderful chinese food. Have it sweet or savoury, thick or thin, luxurious or simple. It is up to you.
It has a long history of use as dietary therapy. Some of the oldest chinese imperial records have mentions of it as being a premier health food.
Its healing power is already in the chinese collective memory. One day, I caught myself offering to buy some for a colleague when she wasn't feeling well. It is really the first thing that came to my mind. When we are sick, we eat congee. Period.
Rice porridge used to be for the poor, it was served in times of drought and famine where food are hard to come by.
Legend has it that during the rule of Emperor Yong Zheng of the Qing dynasty, a famine broke out. He ordered his officials to make congee and distribute to the starving people. Corrupt officials would skimp on the rice and distribute very watery versions. When the Emperor heard about this, he set a standard that the porridge must be so thick that when a pair of chopsticks was inserted, it stays upright. Any officials who fail this standard was beheaded. :P
Chook was also served during funerals because it is simple and plain, and suits times of grief and mourning.
Now, it has become a popular breakfast food for Southern chinese and midnight snacks for Singaporeans :P
Whether it is plain rice porridge with fried dough (you tiao 油条) or a huge bowl of cantonese jook with fresh seafood. It doesn't matter. We just like to start our day off with a nice hot bowl for breakfast.
There are just so many ways to eat it.
It is common to cook some plain rice porridge and whipped a few small dishes to go with it.
Plain rice porridge with potato and pork stew and stir-fried cabbage.
Or, it can be a one-meal porridge. Just "dump" all the ingredients together and splash some soy sauce, sesame seed oil and pepper.
What's so good about it?
Many chinese mothers would make congee and add all kinds of wonderful and nourishing ingredients for their babies, young children, and family members who are sick or are elderly.
1. Great Baby Food
In Singapore, congee is one of the first semi-solid food babies eat after milk. Add ingredients like mashed carrots, white fish, finely chopped green leafy vegetables to increase the flavour and increase the nutritious value.
I have yet to meet a baby that doesn't like baby porridge. However, try not to feed your baby plain congee. They can tell that you are trying to wing it.
Use bone stocks to prepare your jook to add additional calcium and iron to your baby's diet. This is especially important if your baby starts to develop lactose intolerance.
2. Recuperating Food
People who are ill or are recovering from an illness usually have poor appetite. Taking nourishing congee should help to improve appetite and provide much needed nutrients.
3. Anti-Diarrhoea Food
If you have diarrhoea and vomiting, you should try taking some plain rice porridge. It will hold down better, eases the diarrhoea and replenish lost fluids. I will always make some nice hot rice porridge when I have diarrhoea. Try brown rice jook. They seem especially good for diarrhoea.
4. Gluten-free food
Rice porridge and other rice dishes are good alternative food for celiacs, people who are allergic to gluten. I have compiled a list of gluten-free recipes made up predominantly of congee recipes.
So, how do we make congee?
There are many ways to cook this thick soup so this topic deserves its own page. Learn how to cook congee here.
Congee Recipes
Try some of these congee recipes.
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