MMMMM---------------------------CONGEE--------------------------------
3/4 c White rice; Jasmine
-preferred
8 c Water
1/2 oz Ginger
MMMMM----------------------CHICKEN MARINADE---------------------------
12 oz Chicken; use any amount you
-want
2 ts Corn starch
1 tb Oyster sauce
2 tb Water
1/2 ts Chicken bouillon
2 tb Vegetable oil
MMMMM-------------------ADDITIONAL SEASONINGS------------------------
1 ts Salt
1 ts Chicken bouillon
MMMMM-------------------------GARNISHES------------------------------
2 Green onion pieces
1 Cilantro piece; to taste
We'll start by washing our rice (3/4 cup) in a bowl:
* Fill the bowl with some water
* Massage and mix the rice around with your hands
* Drain the water
* My dad prefers to repeat this 3 times, for good measure
It may seem counterintuitive to rinse rice that's just going to be
cooked down in water, but this is an essential step! Washing the
grains not only removes dirt, but also excess starch that can lead to
gummy, sticky congee.
To save some time, we'll start boiling some
water (8 cup) for later. For jook / congee recipes, the water-to-rice
ratio is usually very high. In my dad's recipe, it's 8-to-1.
Next, we'll chop our ginger (1/2 oz) into thin slices, and then into
thin strips. Chop a few strands of cilantro (1 piece) and green onion
(2 pieces) into small pieces.
Cut the chicken (12 oz) into thin slices and place it in a bowl to
marinate.
Add oyster sauce (1 tb), corn starch (2 ts), chicken bouillon (1/2
ts), and water (2 tb). Mix and massage the chicken and the marinade
together for 30 seconds until there's no liquid left. Then, add
vegetable oil (2 tb) to the bowl and mix it around with chopsticks
for another 20 to 30 seconds.
The corn starch helps glue the flavors to the chicken, and lock the
juices inside the meat. The oil helps prevent the chicken from
clumping together, and also helps seal the juices inside the chicken
as well.
Chef's Tip: Before cutting, place a towel underneath your board to
increase its stability, and decrease the chances that you'll
accidentally cut yourself.
Pour the boiled water (8 cup) from earlier into a pot, set on high
heat, and wait for the pot to boil before adding the rice (3/4 cup).
It's important not to add the rice before the pot starts boiling.
Once the pot (water only) is boiling, add the rice and stir it around
a bit. Another important tip: Don't stir the rice once the pot is
boiling yet again, otherwise it will be more likely to stick to the
bottom of the pot.
We'll cover the pot (water and rice) and wait until it's boiling
again.
Once the pot is boiling again, we'll partially cover the pot and let
it cook at medium heat for 25 minutes.
Depending on what "medium heat" is for your stove, you might need to
cook it for longer than that.
Even though this step is fairly passive, it's an important one. My dad
explains that Cantonese people are very proud and particular about the
quality of their "jūk dái," or the congee base.
Once we've hit 25 minutes, we can either proceed with this step or
cook it for longer.
When my wife and I recreated this recipe using my dad's instructions,
I had to cook it for another 10 minutes longer because my "medium
heat" wasn't hot enough. Our grains of rice were still fairly solid.
It really depends on your stove, and a bit of trial and error.
