Even though the name usually spelled out as "congee," but there are still some variations especially on the cooking method. This time I'm making the "Chinese" style congee, the kind originated from the Guangdong area. The main idea is to cook the raw rice first, usually till nearly paste-like consistency, then you add the marinated ingredients in the end.
However, I intentionally cooked the rice with some shape retained. As shown in the images, the rice was only about 50% paste-like. So for the rice consistency part, I'll leave that to you to decide the overall preferred texture in the end.
Chinese chicken congee 生滾雞粥 -
Ingredients (about 6 full servings)?
- 600 grams chicken (dark meat preferred)
- 2 regular cups short grain white rice
- 3000ml water
- 1000ml chicken stock
- Some cilantro (optional)
- Some white pepper powder (optional)
Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon aged Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon grated garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper powder
- 1 tablespoon potato starch
How?
Slice the chicken to bite size pieces, more like thicker slices. If using chicken breast, try to slice the meat with an angle, so you get bigger pieces in the end. Massage and marinate the chicken with all the ingredients listed under the "marinade" section.
Rinse the short grain white rice a few times before cooking. I accidentally forgot to wash the rice first and just use it straight into cooking. The result was still good though. But if you let me go back in time, I'll definitely give it a few rinses just because.
So in the end, ready 2 regular measuring cups of white rice and add that to a big pot. Also pour in 3000ml of water and 1000ml of chicken stock. You can play with the water and stock ratio. However, the rice to liquid ratio should be around 1 regular measuring cup of rice with 2000ml of liquid.
Use medium heat to slowly heat up such big pot of liquid. Stir the rice, especially the bottom from time to time in case of sticking.
Once the liquid has been heated up, it might appear on the slightly bubbling side, which is fine. Just make sure no rice is stuck on the bottom from time to time. Continue to cook the rice till it reaches your desired texture. Mine took about 40 minutes.
Add in chicken along with any leftover marinade. Spread out the chicken and use medium or medium low heat to slowly cooking through the meat. Be patient and wait till the chicken has been fully cooked-through.
Taste and adjust with salt if needed. Sometimes it varies depending on the stock you're using. Once all checked, scoop and serve the congee.
If you have some cilantro, give it a few chops and add some on top of the congee for a fresh aroma pop. Or perhaps some additional white pepper powder fits more of your liking.
Other congee recipes:
- Dried anchovies and pea shoots congee 小魚乾大豆苗鹹粥
- Savoury Chinese congee using Jinhua ham and vegetables 金華火腿鹹味臘八粥
- Soy milk zosui
- Tomato bamboo shoot and pork zosui 番茄竹筍豬肉雜炊
- Minced beef and vegetable congee 蔬菜牛肉粥