Up until recently, I’d never had congee – I’m an instant fan. I’ve mentioned Crispy Gai here in Portland, Maine before and theirs was so amazing that I had to try and make a version (or three). These all use the same congee as 1 cup of rice yielded a lot of leftovers. If you haven’t had it before, congee is basically Chinese rice porridge and can be dressed with any number of items.
What I made…
- Congee with roast pork belly and egg
- Congee with shrimp and nam jim sauce
- Congee with bacon and egg
Basic Congee
I watched a number of videos and looked over a few of recipes before trying this one, but overall it’s very easy.
- 8 parts chicken broth to 1 part rice (I used jasmati)
- This can range from 6:1 up to 10:1, depending on the recipe used – 8:1 worked for me
- Rinse rice until the water runs clear
- Cook in Ninja Foodi on pressure cooker setting on high for 30 minutes and natural release
- That’s it!
Next time I want to try something more like this recipe and use bone-in chicken during the cooking process. I attempted fried garlic, but it was a little bitter.
Congee with Roast Pork Belly
- Prepare pork belly according to this recipe
- Note: I subbed mirin for sherry and used regular soy sauce instead of light soy sauce
- The pork belly cooking time could be adjusted here, but the marinade is really very good. The fat layer didn’t render exactly to my liking, but this was also my first time trying it!
- Prepare a poached egg
- Place congee in bowl and top with sliced scallion, cilantro, roasted peanuts, egg, pork belly, and cooked reserved marinade
Congee with Shrimp and Nam Jim Sauce
- Cook shrimp using your favorite method
- Prepare nam jim sauce according to this recipe
- Place congee in bowl and top with sliced scallion, roasted peanuts, shrimp, and nam jim sauce
Congee with Bacon
- Prepare thick cut bacon and a runny fried egg
- Place congee in bowl and top with sliced scallion, cilantro, roasted peanuts, egg, bacon, and marinade from the pork belly recipe
Stephen Quirk 