Who likes congee (juk)?

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
21

Oh, the memories of congee (zhou in Mandarin, literally, gruel or porridge)! When I lived in Shanghai, I walked every morning to the home of my future wife, where her grandmother prepared bowls of zhou for breakfast. Accompanying it were plates of peanuts, pickled vegetables, fermented bean curd, 100 year old eggs, and the leftovers from the previous night’s dinner if anyone was still hungry. Nutritious and easy to digest, zhou was my staple every morning for the five years I lived in Shanghai.

22

Love congee … one of my preferred comfort food.
I’m not sure I can attempt to make at home, but Victor’s recipe, and the rest of the thread, will be kept if ever needed.

23

Love it.

24

Chinatown sells so many things to add to congee. For instance, during the simmering stage, one can
add dried oysters or scallops, cured duck gizzards, Chinese-styled bacon, salted fish, or roasted bones.
For serving, excellent garnishes might also include seaweed, sesame oil, roasted duck, braised
tripe, watercress, or pea shoots.

I am firing up another pot tonight, because the weather has cooled and my surgeon recommended
extra caloric intake to help healing.

25

In a massive, almost desperate, effort to absorb protein and calories for healing, here is what I ate today:

1 banana
2 bowls of congee, garnished liberally with olive oil and 3 eggs
2 chorizo and salsa soft tacos
5 chocolate biscotti
3 bowls of chicken and vegetable biryani

This pushed my weight from 142.5 pounds to 145. Let us hope that this sticks.

26

I love congee-the best cure for a hangover. I like it plain with some preserved vegetables, or with shredded chicken or beef, shredded ‘scallion’ and ginger, fried garlic, chilli oil etc. But most of all I like ‘boat’ congee where you line the bowl with thinly sliced fish with a little sesame. You pour on boiling juk which cooks the fish.

27

Not cold enough lately to savor juk at its soul-warming best. We need for winter to arrive.
Still, I make a pot every weekend now, as the basis for weekday lunches.

28

The Japanese version is blander, also served to convalescents.

29

Singaporeans don’t agree in spite of their proximity to the equator. We ate congee when we lived there but I always looked in wonder at Singaporeans dining alfresco, huddled around a hot pot. [shock.gif]

30

Childhood caning inured them to sensation.

31

At last, a colder morning here in Noo Yawk. So, at 7:30AM, I tossed a frozen block of
home-simmered chicken stock into a large pot, and added one cup of rice, five dried
oysters, a garlic bulb, four clove buds, and two sprigs of roof-garden rosemary.

This will bubble gently for the next few hours, turning into a great but easy and
inexpensive lunch.

32

Love it. My favorite has long been with shredded pork and 1000 year old eggs.

33

Luis,

Do you eat Balut?

34

Intriguing. You been using rosemary in congee for a while or is this an experiment, Victor?

35

A while. It is great yet subtle.
Congee is the perfect tool for culinary experimentation. If something does not work well, boil to death and eat it anyway. [wow.gif]

36

I used to in the past, especially in high school/college after long drinking sessions. I’ve had it only a handful of times in past decade though.

37

Ahhhh…
Home-made congee for lunch, on a rainy workday.

38

Thanksgiving = juk. Huge pot made that sadly doesn’t last for long. OK I’m thankful for more but… yummy.

39

I think I need to ask my girlfriend to teach me how to make it. The thought of having congee on a cold chicago morning sounds fantastic.

40

I got you. Water and rice. 5-6parts water to rice. cook on low after you get it to boil for as long as you’d like. The longer the thicker/stickier it gets. Add ingredients if you’d like. I like mine plain and I add toppers later. But our cantonese friends on this board will mix things in while cooking. Both are quite tasty.