I'm really confused right now. For as long as I remember, my parents have called congee "zuo." I looked up congee on wikipedia and found that the Chinese word for congee is "zhou." I googled everywhere, I can not find evidence that congee is also called "zuo" in Chinese. I feel cheated.
Anyway, DY wasn't feeling to hot this afternoon (or so he says), so I cooked up a pot of congee for him. Congee is basically a rice porridge that is light and easy on the stomach (perfect for the unwell). Typically, my family makes regular white rice congee or sweet congee with red beans, but my preference is actually inspired by my last meal in Hong Kong. In the Hong Kong airport before my departure back to the states, I grabbed a bowl of chicken and black preserved egg congee from a fast food chain restaurant. It was unbelievably good and exactly what I needed.
I've made chicken congee a few times now, but as a novice I started with this recipe. Now, I just eyeball it and adjust accordingly. It's so easy to make, especially with leftovers. Below is an extremely rough recipe (until I can get actual measurements).
Chicken Congee
Yield: Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
Chicken, cooked and shredded
Rice, cooked
Water
Chicken Broth
Ginger, cut into 1 inch pieces
White pepper powder
Salt
DIRECTIONS
Place cooked rice and ginger pieces in a pot and add 1 part water and 2 parts chicken broth until it covers all of the rice. Cook on medium and stir occasionally until rice has broken down and thickened into a porridge-like consistency.
Once porridge-like, add shredded chicken (and a chicken leg bone or some sort of bone for flavor if you like)and continue to stir. Any time too much liquid seems to have evaporated, add more water and chicken broth in the previously said proportions.
Taste the congee and see if it has a full-bodied flavor. Before serving, stir in a dash of white pepper powder and, only if you want, some salt.
Wow, that was so vague. But I swear it gets the job done for me. I'll try to post some actually numbers and measurements later for future reference for me.
Anyway, DY wasn't feeling to hot this afternoon (or so he says), so I cooked up a pot of congee for him. Congee is basically a rice porridge that is light and easy on the stomach (perfect for the unwell). Typically, my family makes regular white rice congee or sweet congee with red beans, but my preference is actually inspired by my last meal in Hong Kong. In the Hong Kong airport before my departure back to the states, I grabbed a bowl of chicken and black preserved egg congee from a fast food chain restaurant. It was unbelievably good and exactly what I needed.
I've made chicken congee a few times now, but as a novice I started with this recipe. Now, I just eyeball it and adjust accordingly. It's so easy to make, especially with leftovers. Below is an extremely rough recipe (until I can get actual measurements).
Chicken Congee
Yield: Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
Chicken, cooked and shredded
Rice, cooked
Water
Chicken Broth
Ginger, cut into 1 inch pieces
White pepper powder
Salt
DIRECTIONS
Place cooked rice and ginger pieces in a pot and add 1 part water and 2 parts chicken broth until it covers all of the rice. Cook on medium and stir occasionally until rice has broken down and thickened into a porridge-like consistency.
Once porridge-like, add shredded chicken (and a chicken leg bone or some sort of bone for flavor if you like)and continue to stir. Any time too much liquid seems to have evaporated, add more water and chicken broth in the previously said proportions.
Taste the congee and see if it has a full-bodied flavor. Before serving, stir in a dash of white pepper powder and, only if you want, some salt.
Wow, that was so vague. But I swear it gets the job done for me. I'll try to post some actually numbers and measurements later for future reference for me.