Congee


Congee is a form of savoury rice porridge of Asian origin, primarily made by boiling rice in a large amount of water until the rice softens. Depending on the rice–water ratio, the thickness of congee varies from a Western oatmeal porridge to a gruel. Since the history of rice cultivation in Asia stretches back to the Baiyue-inhabited lower Yangtze circa 10,000 BC, congee is unlikely to have appeared before that date. Congee is typically served with side dishes, or it can be topped with meat, fish, and pickled vegetables.
Vivid experiences of eating or delivering thin congee as wartime or famine food often feature in diaries and chronicles. In some cultures, congee is eaten primarily as a breakfast food or late supper; some may also eat it as a substitute for rice at other meals. It is often considered suitable for the sick as a mild, easily digestible food.

Etymology

The popular English name congee derives from the Tamil word . The Portuguese adopted the name as canje, with the first document mentioning the dish and the word in 1563. The English name was adopted from the Portuguese. In China, congee is known as zhou, with the first recorded reference traced back to 1000 BC during Zhou dynasty. Across Asia, various similar dishes exists with varying names.

Varieties

East Asia

Mainland China

By porridge, Chinese languages across the south usually mean rice porridge, while in the north it may be cornmeal porridge, proso millet porridge, foxtail millet porridge, or sorghum porridge, reflecting the north–south divide of grain production.
In northwest Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, fermented rice and millet porridge known as 酸粥 is popular. Rice and millet are soaked to allow fermentation, then water is drained to obtain porridge. The water is served as a drink, 酸米湯. The porridge is eaten with pickles of turnips, carrots, radish or celery. When stirred-fried, the porridge is called 炒酸粥. The porridge may also be steamed into solids known as 酸撈飯. While the traditional grain is proso millet, it is mixed with rice when available. Many folk idioms of sourness derive from this dish.
In Shanghai, Suzhou and nearby, an iconic glutinous rice porridge topped by red bean paste, sweet olive syrup and brown sugar is
赤豆糊糖粥. Street hawking of this porridge is featured in a well-known Wu Chinese nursery rhyme.
Originating in Guangdong, century egg congee has become popular nationwide since the 2000s. It was first tested on the menu of KFC in Shanghai in 2002 and later rolled out to all KFCs in mainland China and Taiwan. Century egg porridge ranked in the top ten in breakfast orders in almost every Chinese major city as far north as Harbin.
Additional common regional ingredients include salted duck eggs, rousong, zhacai, pickled tofu, mung beans and organ meats. Youtiao is served as a side dish in some Chinese cultures. Congee with multiple ingredients tends to be seen as expensive and festive congee, such as Laba congee.

Taiwan

In Taiwan, congee is known as tl=muê in Taiwanese Hokkien or p=xīfàn in Mandarin. Sweet potato, taro root, or century egg is often added for taste. A famous congee dish in Taiwan is milkfish congee.

Japan

, or often is the name for the type of congee eaten in Japan, which typically uses water to rice ratios of 5:1 or 7:1 and is cooked for about 30 minutes. There are recipes that use a water to rice ratio of up to 20:1.
Kayu may be made with just rice and water, and is often seasoned with salt. Eggs can be beaten into it to thicken it. Toppings may be added to enhance flavour; welsh onion, salmon, roe, ginger, and umeboshi are among the most common. Miso or chicken stock may be used to flavor the broth. Most Japanese electric rice cookers have a specific setting for cooking congee.
In Japan, porridge – because it is soft and easily digestible – is regarded as a food particularly suitable for serving to the sick and elderly. For similar reasons, it is commonly the first solid food served to Japanese infants, being used to help with the transition from liquids to normally cooked rice, the latter being a major part of the Japanese diet.
A type of kayu referred to as nanakusa-gayu is traditionally eaten on 7 January with special herbs that some believe protect against evils and invite good luck and longevity in the new year. As a simple, light dish, nanakusa-gayu serves as a break from the many heavy dishes eaten over the Japanese New Year.
Kayu is also used in Shinto divination rituals.
Zōsui is a similar dish, which uses already cooked rice, rather than cooking the rice in the soup.

Korea

Juk is a Korean category for porridges made by boiling rice or other grains or legumes, such as beans, sesame, nuts, and pumpkin, with much more water than bap. Juk is often eaten warm, especially as a morning meal, but is now eaten at any time of the day.
Depending on the ingredients and consistency, juk can be considered as food for recuperation, a delicacy, or famine food. It is known to have nutritional benefits, and is considered to be beneficial to digestion because of its soft texture. It is a staple "get well" dish; a dish to eat when one is sick or recovering from bad health. Juk is also considered an ideal food for babies, the ill or elderly, as it is easily eaten and digested. It is also sold commercially by many chain stores in South Korea, and is a common takeout dish.
There are more than forty varieties of juk mentioned in old documents. The most basic form of juk, made from plain rice, is called ssaljuk or huinjuk. Being largely unflavored, it is served with a number of more flavorful side dishes, such as jeotgal, various types of kimchi, and other side dishes.
Notable varieties include jatjuk made from finely ground pine nuts, jeonbok-juk made with abalones, yulmu-juk made from yulmu, and patjuk made from red beans.
Varieties of juk include:

Myanmar

In Myanmar, congee is called hsan byoke or hsan pyoke, literally " rice boiled". It is plain porridge, often made with just rice and water, but sometimes with chicken or pork stock and served with a simple garnish of chopped spring onions and crispy fried onions. Paired with garnishes of choice.

Cambodia

In Khmer, congee is called babor. It is one of the options for breakfast along with kuyteav, another popular Cambodian breakfast dish. Congee is eaten throughout Cambodia both in the countryside and in the cities.
Congee can be eaten plain or with a variety of side dishes and toppings such as soy sauce, added to enhance taste, as well as dried salted fish or fried breadsticks.
There are two main versions of congee: plain congee, and chicken congee. It is usually eaten during the colder dry season or when someone is sick. After the congee is prepared, a variety of toppings can be added to enhance the flavour such as bean sprouts, green onions, coriander, pepper, along with the dried fish and fried breadsticks on the side. The chicken congee is the same as plain congee but contains more herbs and chicken.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, congee is called bubur, and it is a popular breakfast food. Travelling bubur ayam vendors frequently pass through residential streets in the morning selling the dish. A popular version is bubur ayam, which is congee with shredded chicken meat. It is also served with many condiments, such as green onion, crispy fried shallot, fried soybean, Chinese crullers, both salty and sweet soy sauce, and sometimes it is topped with yellow chicken broth and kerupuk. Unlike some other Indonesian dishes, it is not spicy; sambal or chili paste is served separately.
Some food vendors serve sate alongside it, made from quail egg or chicken intestine, liver, gizzard, or heart.
On the north coast of Bali, famously in a village called Bondalem, there is a local congee dish called mengguh, a popular local chicken and vegetable congee that is spicier than common bubur ayam and more similar to tinutuan, using a spice mix of onions, garlic, coriander seeds, pepper and chili.
In another region of Indonesia, the city of Manado in North Sulawesi, there is a very popular type of congee called tinutuan, or also known as bubur Manado. It is rice porridge served with ample amount of vegetables. A bit different from the one sold in Java, it is made from rice porridge, enriched with vegetables, including kangkung, corn kernels, yam or sweet potato, dried salted fish, kemangi leaves and melinjo leaves.
In the eastern parts of Indonesia, the local congee is called papeda, which is made from sago flour. It is a staple food of Maluku and Papuan people. Usually, it is eaten with yellow soup made from tuna or mubara fish spiced with turmeric and lime.

Laos

In Laos, congee is called khao piak, literally "wet rice". It is cooked with rice and chicken broth or water. The congee is then garnished with fried garlic, scallions and pepper. The dish will sometimes be served with chicken, quail eggs, century eggs or youtiao. In Laos, congee is usually eaten as breakfast and during the cold season.

Malaysia

In Malaysia, congee is known as porridge or bubur.

Philippines

Lugaw is the Filipino generic term for rice gruel. It encompasses a wide variety of dishes, ranging from savory dishes very similar to Chinese-style congee to dessert dishes. In the Visayan regions, savory lugaw are known as pospas. Lugaw typically use glutinous rice. It is usually thicker than other Asian congees, retaining the shape of the rice, yet with a similar texture.
Savory versions of lugaw are flavored with ginger and traditionally topped with scallions and toasted garlic. Dried red safflower may also be used as a topping, mainly as a visual garnish and to impart a more appealing yellow tinge to the dish. As with Japanese kayu, fish or chicken stock may be used to flavor the broth. The most popular variants of lugaw include arroz caldo, goto, lugaw na baboy, lugaw na baka, and lugaw na tokwa't baboy. Other versions can also use tinapa, palakâ, utak, dilà, and litid. They are traditionally seasoned with calamansi, fish sauce, soy sauce, and black pepper. It is often served to the ill and the elderly, and is favored among Filipinos living in colder climates because it is warm, soft, and easy to digest.
Dessert versions of lugaw include champorado, binignit, and ginataang mais, among others. Like the savory versions, they are usually eaten for breakfast, but can also be eaten as a snack. In Hiligaynon-speaking areas, lugaw may refer to binignit.