Congee - Rice Gruel

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Title: CONGEE - RICE GRUEL
Categories: Chinese, Rice
Yield: 6 servings

1 c Long grain rice
3 qt Stock [I used chicken stock.
-S.C.]
2 tb Minced Chinese preserved
-turnip
1 sl Ginger root, minced
1 Piece tangerine peel, soaked
-to soften and minced
Salt
Garnish of:
Chopped green onion
Chopped coriander
Slivered preserved ginger
Sliced tea melon

In all my years of eating and cooking Chinese food,
I'd never tried Congee (rice gruel) before yesterday.
It just seemed so *bland* that I thought it couldn't
possibly be all that interesting. I was WRONG! The
recipe below gives a subtle but hearty "soup" which
can be garnished in a virtually infinite number of
ways according to personal taste. I found that I like
just the basic stuff, unembellished the best. I
substituted half a cup of long grain rice and half a
cup of glutinous rice for the long grain rice and it
worked very well. The preserved turnip seems to be
used mostly for its salt content. I found it
unnecessary to add any more salt to the congee. The
tangerine peel gives a very subtle, nice hint of
exotic perfume to the dish. The pot I made set up
almost like a pea soup when it cooled. Good stuff!
Ridiculously easy too...

Congee (Jook)

Combine rice, stock, preserved turnip, ginger and
tangerine peel in a large soup pot and bring to a
boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered approximately
1-1 1/2 hours or until the rice is thoroughly broken
up. Stir occasionally to prevent soup from sticking
and add boiling water if necessary. When done, soup
should be thick and creamy. Add salt to taste and
garnish with any or all of the suggested garnishes.

Variations: Just before serving, add cooked chicken,
pork, ham or beef. Or with rice add diced forest
mushrooms, soaked to soften or dried shrimp.

From "The Regional Cooking of China" by Margaret Gin
and Alfred E. Castle, 101 Productions, San Francisco,
1975.

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