Thai-style Congee

Congee is an incredibly comforting, savory porridge of broken or day-old rice and either water or broth, served across Asia. This recipe is more Thai, as it uses shrimp paste and fish sauce, but there are so many Thai versions of congee that I don't want you thinking this is "the" Thai way. If you make your congee a little thicker and less broken down, it's called khao tom, but if you cook it until it's soupy and completely broken down, it's called jok.

If you're looking for a vegan version of congee, click here.

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Thai Style Congee

[1 large serving, 2 small servings]

Ingredients

¾ c. leftover cooked rice

2 c. water (or more)

1” knob ginger, peeled and minced

1 garlic clove, minced

½ tsp. chicken or pork base (Better than Bullion)

¼ tsp. shrimp paste

1 tsp fish sauce, or more to taste

1 egg, separated

~Toppings~

Crumbled bacon

Thai pork meatballs

Pork or chicken floss (dehydrated)

Leftover anything! (veggies, meat, etc.)

Cilantro

Green onions

Diced shallot

Fried garlic or shallot

Chili garlic or chili crisp

Method

1. In a medium saucepan, add rice, 1 ½ c. water, ginger, garlic, soup base, and shrimp paste. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium low.

2. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to make sure the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.

3. After 10 minutes of simmering, check the congee. Most of the water will have soaked into the rice. Add an additional ½ c. water now, and stir to combine.

4. Simmer an additional 5-8 minutes, until rice has broken down and the consistency is that of a thick porridge, adding more water as needed to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. I added about ¼ c. more water right before I pulled it off the heat, to create the consistency I wanted, similar to the consistency of oatmeal. You can always cook down more, adding water as you cook for a more broken down and soupy consistency. The rice will continue to break down and become creamier.

5. Right before you pull the congee off the heat, add the egg white and fish sauce. Stir into congee to cook egg white, about 1 minute.

กินเถอะ

gin tùh = Thai for "let's eat!"