Chicken Rice Porridge aka Congee or Juk

This hearty rice porridge, also known as Congee in Singapore and northern Asia or Juk in Korea, is a fusion of Chinese and Indonesian flavors and techniques, one that is often eaten when feeling a cold coming on as well as being a breakfast staple in the far East. It is vitamin packed and is guaranteed to make anyone feel satisfied without being weighed down. Traditional Chinese rice porridges are more watery while I prefer the Indonesian method of cooking the rice down until it reaches a thick, smooth consistency. I love the pairing of the rice porridge with the Chinese Lap Cheong sausage – its salty, sweetness adding great flavor and texture to the very mild rice soup.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 large chicken breast bone-in (2 medium chicken breasts)

18 cups water

3 cups cooked cooked rice

3 lap cheong (Chinese pork sausage)

10 garlic cloves smashed

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

{For the condiments}

Sweet soy sauce

Chili sauce

Chopped scallions

Fried garlic

Method

In a large pot or wok, bring 12 cups of water to boil; add the chicken and lower to medium high heat. Allow to boil for 40 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside to cool.

Add the cooked rice into the broth; stir and simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes.

Chop the chicken into thin slivers and return to the broth along with the garlic and salt. Add 2 cups of water and simmer for another 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

Add 3 cups of water and simmer for the last 20 minutes until porridge is smooth and thick; turn heat off and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut the lap cheong into thin, diagonal slices and stir fry in a wok on high heat until golden brown and crisp (approximately 2 to 3 minutes); drain on a paper towel .

Serve the porridge with lap cheong, scallions and fried garlic on top with the condiments on the side.

***Fried garlic: finely mince 15 cloves of garlic and stir-fry in 3 tablespoons vegetable oil on medium high heat until brown and crisp; drain on paper towel .