Congee is a delicious rice porridge I’ve been wanting to create for quite a long time. It’s a warm and comforting porridge made from chicken, rice, ginger, chicken, and occasionally other interesting ingredients. Congee is typically cooked for a long time, and it’s best made in the instant pot. It is an excellent method to cook Congee quickly and easily. However, I’ve also included directions for stovetop use for anyone else (it’s super simple to make either method). This is why, even though I’ve named this recipe “Instant Pot Congee,” don’t miss this amazing, delicious recipe simply because you don’t have an opulent IP. It’s way too amazing not to make.
WHAT IS CONGEE?
Congee is a type of rice porridge that is a common food item in many countries in Asia. There are a variety of versions or names used for the dish depending on the region in which it is served, but all of them have one thing they all have in common: they’re warm, comforting, and full of flavor. Congee’s basic ingredient is rice that’s been cooked for a prolonged period in either water or broth until it breaks into a dense porridge. It can be as straightforward as this or include additional ingredients such as meat or aromatics to give it the appearance of a dinner.
However, that’s only a small portion of the rich history and tradition around this traditional comfort food. If you’re interested in trying an authentic congee recipe or know more about Congee, I suggest you check out these sources:
Chicken Congee from Made with Lau
The Method of Making Chinese Congee from Tiff & Case (Youtube)
What is Congee (Rice porridge) from China Sichuan Food
20-Minute Congee taken from The Woks of Life
WHAT DOES CONGEE TASTE LIKE?
Congee is an incredibly light dish. However, the flavor is intense. Oh, so deliciously deep. This congee recipe, which is made with chicken, is brimming with a subtle chicken flavor with additional umami from mushrooms and a wonderful ginger-based base. I discovered the Congee to be so soft and tasty that I could easily take a sip by itself, but when I began adding delicious toppings, the meal got elevated to superstar status.
ADD TOPPINGS
I’d recommend using, at minimum, the base toppings I’ve included on the recipe card in the following:
Sesame oil
soy sauce
green onion
cilantro
chopped peanuts
Beyond that, there’s the limit. It was given a “soft boiled egg and sriracha” treatment since I tend to add these two ingredients to everything; however, the Congee was actually very satisfying by itself, and I’m probably not going to go with eggs in the near future. The sriracha added a nice addition, however.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup uncooked jasmine rice ($0.52)
Two cloves of garlic ($0.16)
1-2 inches fresh ginger ($0.10)
Three shiitake mushrooms ($0.63)
Two lb. chunks of bone-inched chicken ($3.66)
7 cups of water ($0.00)
1/2 1 tsp salt (or according to taste) ($0.05)
TOPPINGS
Three onions of green, cut ($0.23)
1/4 bunch cilantro (optional) ($0.20)
1/3 cup peanuts chopped ($1.12)
1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.05)
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil ($0.33)
INSTRUCTIONS
Peel and cut the ginger. Then crush the garlic cloves. Cut your mushrooms into thin pieces. Remove the skins from your chicken parts.
Place the rice that is not cooked into the pot’s bottom. Then add the garlic that has been crushed, the sliced ginger, and the mushrooms cut into slices. Place the chicken pieces on top of the rice and add aromatics. Then, add 7 cups of liquid.
Close and secure your lid to your Instant Pot. Adjust the steam release valve towards the “sealing “the sealing” position. Hit”porridge” to begin cooking the “porridge” button to begin cooking (no need to alter the duration or pressure). After 10 seconds, the pot will start to heat up and increase stress. Once it reaches the needed temperature and pressure, it starts to display the countdown for the remaining time for 20 minutes.
After about 20 minutes, the pot will shift into”keep warm,” after which it will switch to “keep warm” setting and begin to lower pressure. The bank will reduce force without closing the valve to release steam. If the float valve drops back to its original position, you can open the steam valve and then open the lid.
Utilizing tongs, carefully take out the chicken pieces, then put the details on clean-cut boards. Two forks are needed to cut the meat and then remove the bones. The heart that has been shredded is returned to the pot.
Mix the porridge and taste. Add salt as necessary (I added 1/2 TBSP). Make sure to add enough salt in order to intensify the flavors; however, leave some room for the addition of soy sauce for topping.
