Cooking Porridge, How To Make Porridge, How To Make Congee

Cooking porridge comes easily to me because I grew up with it as a staple in my diet.

It therefore came as a surprise when I receive questions about how to make congee.

So let me take a step back and share a couple of ways to make porridge.

Wash the rice

It seems superfluous to say this but the first step is to wash the rice.

After adding water to the rice, stir the rice and water vigorously. Rub the rice grains using the palms of your hands. The water should be murky by now. Pour the water away. Repeat washing until water is clear.

Let the rice grains stand in the water for about 15 minutes (if you have the time).

Well-washed rice is important as you want to wash away any excess rice flour which may affect the texture of the congee.

Granny says: Do not throw the murky rice water away. Store them in a pail and use them to water your plants.

How much water?

Many first-time congee chefs are concerned about how much water to use. Actually, it all depends on the consistency you want to achieve. Granny likes her rice porridge thick while I like mine of medium consistency. There are basically 3 consistency and it corresponds to the rice-water ratio.

Thick : 1 cup rice to 8 cups water
Medium : 1 cup rice to 10 cups water
Thin : 1 cup rice to 13 cups water

This ratio is for cooking over the stove top where more evaporation takes place. Reduce for slow cooker and rice cooker. Generally, the water level in the cooker should not exceed the 70% mark.

I can't tell you by how much. It all depends on the size of your pots. Experiment! Begin with less water because it is easier to add water if needed.

Beginners take note
I came across someone who tried to cook congee for the first time with 4 cups of rice. She also skimped on the water because her pot is probably too small to accommodate 32 cups of water. Predictably, her patience ran out before the congee is done.

If you are making congee for the first time, try with 1/2 cup of rice. I know it looks very little but it will expand. And it won't take too long. Also use soup stock if possible. It will taste better.

Congee cooking techniques

You can choose to cook chinese rice porridge in the following ways:

Method 1: Over the stove top using uncooked rice

Choose a deep thick base pot, something that will conduct heat evenly. Granny likes using a deep claypot. You can try that if you are cooking a small portion.
Add the water and uncooked washed rice grains
Bring the water and rice to a boil before lowering the heat to a cheery simmer
Stir occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking together or to the bottom of the pot. Stirring is important because rice grains, being much heavier than water, will inadvertently settle to the bottom, stick to the pot and burn
Disadvantage of this cooking method: you must keep an eye on the congee
Some chinese cooks insist that this is the only authentic way to cook porridge. We do not have to be so "dedicated"

Method 2: Over the stove top using cooked rice

There is a chinese saying about each grain of rice representing one year of hard work. So, we get very guilty throwing rice away.

I remember my paternal grandmother cooking congee for breakfast because we had leftover rice from dinner the night before. Not only is this frugal, it takes less time to cook, at least by 50%. Of course this also means 50% less stirring work.

Although the congee may not taste as fresh as freshly made congee but with some condiments, it won't be too obvious. In addition, you can use soup stock to enhance the flavour of the congee.

If you find yourself with some leftover rice, try making rice porridge with it. It is easier and healthier than frying the rice.

Place the cooked rice and water in a big pot
Stir or press to break up any rice lumps first
Bring water and rice to a boil and lower heat to simmer until desired consistency is achieved

Method 3: Using a rice cooker

Many people do not know that they can use a rice cooker to cook chinese rice porridge. A no-nonsense rice cooker can be used to cook congee as well as steam food.

It is so easy to cook congee using the common rice cooker. Here's how:

Add the ratio of water to rice of your desired consistency
Place the water and rice into the rice cooker together
Close the cover, press the COOK button. Go for a shower, a soak, read a book, or watch TV
When the button pops up, the rice porridge is done

Granny says: Check whether your rice cooker is already bubbling at the side of the cover when you cook rice. If it does, it means you must reduce the amount of rice porridge you can make because congee requires a lot more water. Too much water will cause a boil over and damage your rice cooker.

A way to prevent boil over is to reduce the amount of water by about 2-3 cups in the beginning. Add them when the congee is about done. Make sure the water is hot. Stir to mix well.

Although I said that a basic no-nonsense rice cooker is good enough to make rice and congee, I still have the Zojirushi NS-TGC10 Rice Cooker/Steamer on my wishlist. Why?

BECAUSE fuzzy logic allows the rice cooker to "think". It can adjust the cooking temperature through the different stages of cooking rice. It can also cook risotto, pilaf, oats, cousous and polenta.

Some even allow cooking time to be programmed. I can put the rice and water in the pot in the night and programmed it to start cooking in the late afternoon. The rice or congee would be nicely done by the time I come home for dinner.

Last but not least, it looks spunky and trendy.

Method 4: Using a slow cooker

If you have a slow cooker rather than a rice cooker, it can be used to cook rice porridge too. As the name suggests, it will take much longer than the rice cooker. To reduce cooking time, use hot water and cooked rice.

On the other hand, the slow cooker is great for cooking herbal congee. It is best to use a ceramic pot when cooking with chinese herbs in case the herbs react with the metal pots.

It is also fuss-free. Just add everything in at one go and let it cook on low. 4 to 5 hours later, you will find yummy herbal congee steamy hot in your cooker.

My favourite is the Hamilton Beach 33967 Set & Forget Stay or Go 6qt. Slow Cooker - Stainless Steel

Method 5: Using a thermal cooking pot

Use boiling water and cooked rice when using a thermal cooking pot to make chinese rice porridge.

Use the inner pot to boil water
Add the cooked rice and bring back to a boil
Let it boil for about 5-10 minutes
Remove from heat and place the inner pot into the outer casing
Close the lid securely. The porridge should be done in 40 minutes.

The benefit of using the thermal cooking pot is that the rice porridge won't burnt. For a more flavorsome congee, use soup stocks instead of water.

If you have a good coffee thermo, you can try making small amount of rice porridge with it. Same principles as the thermal cooking pot. Experiment! I would definitely use a nice soup stock instead of water though.

When is the congee done?

Rice is generally cooked when each grain become soft thoroughly. But in congee, the grains should be broken. Again, the degree of brokenness depends on your preference.

Cantonese congee has the highest degree of brokenness. It takes quite a bit of effort and stirring to achieve 100% brokenness.

A short cut is to cook the congee twice. After cooking a big pot of congee either over the stove top or in the rice cooker, scoop a cup of congee into a smaller pot and continue to cook and stir, adding ingredients such as sliced fish or ground pork.

Plain white rice porridge to be eaten with a few side dishes has medium degree of brokenness. You can still see the grains but there are splits. This is the easiest consistency to reach.

Lastly, thin rice soup. The rice grains are not broken at all. It is more like cooked rice with soup poured over it.

For people who have digestive issues, it is best not to consume too much thin rice soup. It is tempting to swallow the rice with the soup without chewing and that adds stress to the stomach.