Congee is a rice porridge that is often eaten for breakfast in many parts of Asia. Here in the U.S. of A we like our oatmeal or grits in the mornin and eat savory congee mostly at lunch or dinner topped with delicious veggies, minced pork or even lobster.

Congee is to many Asian cultures what ribolita is to Italians. Congee was a dish created to reduce waste and use leftover rice, chicken, animal bones, etc. Ribolita, on the other hand, was traditionally made with old bread and leftover vegetables and beans.

Congee is a wonderful dish to serve to a crowd. I like to set out all of my toppings and let my guests get creative with how to combine them. It’s also a great dish to serve when serving both vegetarians and omnivores. The base (rice congee) can be made with vegetable stock and the serve-your-self-toppings can include vegetables, meat, and fish for them to choose from. Below is a recipe for a vegetarian congee, but I also included a topping option for all the meat-eaters out there.

Ingredients:

 

Eggs

• 5 organic eggs
• 1 cup of soy sauce
• 1/4 cup of mirin

Rice

• 1 cup of white sushi rice
• 1 cup of black sushi rice
• 16 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 Tbs of grated ginger
• 1 Tbs of high-quality miso (optional)
• 2 tsp salt

Mushrooms

• 16 ounce of fresh shiitake mushrooms sliced thin (rehydrated dried shitake can also be used)
• 2 tbs of vegetable oil
• 2 tbs Gochujang sauce (Korean Hot Sauce)

Minced Pork (Optional for the Meat-Eaters)

• 1 lb of ground pork
• 1 Tbs of vegetable oil
• 1 Tbs of minced ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 red pepper diced
• 1 Tbs fish sauce
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp of sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp of mirin
• 1/2 cup of Thai basil leaves

Other Toppings

• 1/2 cup of chopped scallions
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onions
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• Chili oil
• Sesame oil

 

Instructions:

 

Step 1: Soy Cured Egg Yolks

I had recently learned how to make a soy cured egg. For anyone who follows me on Instagram (@erekav), you know I’ve been playing around with salt-cured eggs for a while now. In comparison, soy cured eggs whose recipe I found in the New York Times, stay gooey because of the way they float in the soy/mirin mixture. This makes for THE perfect congee topping. Are you hooked? Good. Let’s get cooking.

Directions: Mix together the soy and the mirin in a small bowl that is large enough to hold 5 yolks. Gently remove the whites from the yolks. I crack the egg into the palm of my hand and allow the white to drip through into another bowl. When just the yolks remain, slowly drop them into the soy/mirin mixture. Gently spoon a bit of the liquid over the eggs then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 16 hours. After 16 hours, gently scoop out each yolk and place them on a flat dish.

Step 2: Black and White Congee

I had this vision of a black and white congee bowl, which is why I chose to cook both types of rice, however, feel free to make just one color rice. No need to be a fancy pants.

Directions: In one pot add the black sushi rice, 8 cups of vegetable stock, 1/2 Tbs of grated ginger and 1 tsp salt. In another pot add the white sushi rice, 8 cups of vegetable stock, 1/2 Tbs of grated ginger and 1 tsp salt. Bring both pots to a boil, then lower to a simmer and allow to cook for 1 hour or until the broth has been mostly absorbed. The rice should be creamy, starchy and thick.

Step 3: Pickled Onions

Mix together 1/3 cup of mirin and 1/3 cup of soy sauce in a bowl then add the sliced red onions to the mixture and allow them to soak while the rice cooks.

Step 4: The Mushrooms

In a large saute pan heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the mushrooms. Be sure not to overcrowd the mushrooms and if necessary, cook in 2 batches. Cook mushrooms, tossing them as necessary for about 3-5 minutes or until golden brown on both sides. Remove the pan from the heat and mix in 1 Tbs of

Step 5: Minced Pork (Optional for the Meat-Eaters)

In a nonstick pan over medium-high heat saute the garlic and ginger until the garlic is just starting to turn golden brown. To the same pan add the ground pork breaking up the pieces of pork as it cooks. Mix together the fish sauce, soy sauce, mirin, and sesame oil. When the pork is just about cooked through and the mixture and allow the pork to cook for another 2 minutes. When pork is fully cooked, turn off the heat and mix in the Thai basil.

Step 6: Assembling the Congee Bowl

Drain the red onions and place the onions, chopped scallions, chopped cilantro, sauteed mushrooms and pork in separate serving bowls. Put out the hot chili oil, soy sauce, sesame oil for your guests to choose from. Ladle a generous scoop of congee into each bowl and place one soy cured egg into the center of each bowl then educate your guests on the different toppings and how to dress their congee.

If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to check out my recipe for Ribolita!