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Chicken Congee (Gai Jook) – A Chinese Comfort Food by Jax
Chicken Congee (Gai Jook)
I have many memories of my Mom making me chicken congee when I was growing up. To this day, it remains one of my favorite comfort foods. Also, this is the perfect food to make for any children adopted from China. Unless they are so young that they are only eating formula, I guarantee that they will have had it in China.
2 cups white rice (Any kind is fine but not sweet)
2 32 oz boxes chicken broth (that should be 8 cups of chicken broth)
2 cups water (may need more but depends on whether you want thick or thin congee)
a few inches fresh ginger, minced (about ¼ of a cup if possible)
2 bunches green onion, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs chicken meat, cooked and shredded
salt to taste
pepper
dash sesame oil
1. Prepare the chicken in advance. Either shred the cooked chicken or cook about 2 lbs of any type of chicken any way you want and shred it. I like using chicken thighs and sautéing them in a pan and then seasoning them a little bit with Cavender’s Greek Seasoning, salt, and pepper.
2. Wash the rice under cold water. Rinse until the water runs clear. Put the rice and all the chicken broth from both boxes into a large or medium soup pot with a good lid. Simmer over medium high heat and stir the rice frequently so that it doesn’t stick to the pan. Cook with the lid on. As the congee cooks, add the majority of the chicken, depending on how much you want. I don’t add much water because I like thick porridge. Do not leave unattended or the rice will burn if you aren’t careful. Remember to always place the lid back on.
3. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to a lower simmer but you still want it to be medium. Depending on your personal taste, whether you want thick porridge or thin porridge, stir in more water or chicken broth as necessary, 1 cup at a time. Once you start adding water reduce the heat to low medium. Add the green onions, garlic, and ginger but keep some aside so that people can add some to their taste. You can vary the amounts depending on your taste. For example, some people like green onion more than ginger so they add more green onion. I like lots of everything. When the congee is done, the rice will have disintegrated.
4. Turn off the heat when done because if you leave it on it will continue to cook. You can leave the lid on to keep it warm.
5. Season lightly with salt, pepper, and a dash of sesame oil. Serve congee with minced green onion, minced garlic, minced ginger, soy sauce or Maggi sauce, pork fluff (found in Asian stores) and Chinese hot fried bread. You can change this recipe depending on what you want in your congee. For example, pork congee is also popular. Feel free to add simple foods like mushrooms, corn, hard-boiled egg, and ham. Chinese people like to make turkey congee after Thanksgiving.
*If you are using a rice cooker simply put in the rice (might be 1.5 cups max) and fill the chicken broth up to the line appropriate for the amount of rice you added. Add the chicken (you won’t need 2lbs, maybe use 1 lb), the ginger, garlic, and green onions to your preference and keep a little bit aside so each person can add to their taste afterwards. Close the lid and make sure the setting is on porridge or congee. When the light goes off, check your porridge. If it isn’t done yet, simply cook it up again the same way by putting the setting on porridge or congee. Add water as necessary.
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