Eva Makes Congee!

Today's post is all about one of my favorite foods: congee! Also known as jook, congee is a rice porridge popular in China. It's common to add things like chicken, BBQ pork, fish, preserved duck eggs, and vegetables to it. Congee is warm, savory, and creamy in all the best ways. Add some chili paste to it and you have the perfect steaming, spicy rice stew. My grandma, who was half Chinese, supposedly made amazing BBQ pork congee. I have yet to try congee with BBQ pork but I already know I'll like it... I think I'll have to find some this weekend. This craving is strong, and I on the other hand am weak.

A few weeks ago, my roommate and I made our own congee. It was the first time I made congee from scratch. We started by cooking rice in a mixture of water, chicken broth, and salt. You have to add a lot of extra liquid so the rice can cook down into a porridge. Once it does, you throw in everything else. We added collard greens, broccoli, tilapia, preserved duck eggs, mushrooms, green onion, and topped our bowls off with spoonfuls of chili paste.

I probably ate three bowls of the stuff - it was so good. It was the perfect balance of salty, savory, and spicy. Having so many textures in one bite is also something I love. The fish was tender, the duck eggs were so soft they practically melted in your mouth, the broccoli and veggies added the perfect crunch, and the chili paste adds the perfect kick to a porridge that's creamy, delicate, and inviting. As you can see in the photo, we had some BBQ pork buns as well.

I'm excited to make congee again and experiment with different proteins and veggies. It's safe to say though that the chili paste, at least for me, is a must every time.