How to Make Congee (Chinese Rice Porridge)

Last Updated: July 9, 2022

Congee (Chinese Rice Porridge), also known as Kanji, is a traditional Chinese breakfast staple eaten in Asian countries, as well as Europe for brunch and other purposes. This article will teach you how to make this delicious porridge with and without a rice cooker.

Ingredients

3/4 cup (170 g) white rice
9 cups water
optional ingredients (see below)

Serves 3-4

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using a Rice Cooker

To produce healthy congee, you need clean rice. Pour tap water into your rice bowl and swirl the water around by shaking the bowl in up and down circles. Then, pour out the water carefully to make sure no rice is spilled. Do this twice and your rice should be clean.

Go Further! Add dates, red beans, green beans, or other beans into your bowl so you can make your congee taste better. However, make sure to clean these beans correctly; you don't want to be sick!
Add your water into the bowl that can match into your rice cooker. You can change the amount of water you add into your rice to make your congee more watery or drier than usual. You can also let your rice sit for a while if you want your rice to be softer and more water-soaked.

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Match your rice cooker bowl with the rice into the rice cookers hole and close the cap. Then press the button labeled "Congee" or "Soup". All of these functions should work and produce congee as you want it.
When your congee is done, you want to open the cap of the rice cooker and stir it since the rice would have fallen to the bottom of the bowl. Then, scoop out the congee into bowls. Make sure you don't just get rice or the rice water that should be in the rice cooker. If you get too much wet or solid rice, your congee will not taste as good as when the amounts are equal.
You can add things to your congee to make it taste and look better. The following are commonly used in congee; olive sidish, meat ground, bean curd, sesame seeds, green onion chop, salt, and spices. Once your congee is well-presented--serve warm and enjoy!

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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using a Stovetop

To produce healthy congee, you need clean rice. Pour tap water into your rice pot and swirl the water around by shaking the bowl in up and down circles. Then, pour out the water carefully to make sure no rice is spilled. Do this twice and your rice should be clean.
Add your water into the pot with the rice. You can change the amount of water you add into your rice to make your congee more watery or drier than usual. You can also let your rice sit for a while if you want your rice to be softer and more water-soaked.
Put the pot on the stove and put it on medium heat. Stir every minute or so to prevent the rice from sticking.
When the congee begins to boil, put the heat down and let the congee simmer until the correct amount of water has been absorbed. Keep stirring every now and then.
When you are done, take the pot off the stove and stir one last time. Let the congee cool slightly before putting it into the bowl. However, make sure you don't let the congee's smell go away; it improves the taste greatly as well. Again, make sure you get the right amount of the rice and water to improve the congee's texture when scooping your congee into bowls.
Put in your extra seasonings to make your congee look and taste better. You can use the following to achieve this; olive sidish, meat ground, bean curd, sesame seeds, green onion chop, salt, and spices. Serve warm and enjoy!

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