If you keep rice in your freezer, you're not far from a ailment-healing, feeling-wrought-from-the-holidays cure-all—aka nearly instant congee.
Congee is, at its core, a simple Chinese rice porridge that's typically eaten for breakfast, however it's good anytime of day. For superfast congee, user Edna shared that she throws about a cup of cooked, frozen rice in 5 cups of water and/or stock (use whatever ratio you like, adjusting the salt/seasoning as necessary) and boils it on high for 10 to 15 minutes until the rice is nearly falling apart and the whole thing's nice and thick. Using frozen rice cuts down the congee's cook time significantly, as most congees call for slowly simmering everything for 60 to 90 minutes.
Opt for white rice, either long or short grain, which works best for congee as it breaks down into that silky texture you're looking for. And you can use whatever stock you like, however a good-quality, homemade chicken stock will never be remiss.
As for the toppings, you use what you have on hand (this is supposed to be superfast, after all!). Here are some suggestions:
- Soft-boiled eggs (or chopped century eggs)
- Stir-fried pork
- Soy sauce or tamari
- Sesame oil
- Slivered scallions
- Pickled mustard greens
- Fried shallots
- Chopped cilantro
- Chile oil
- Thinly sliced, pickled carrots
- Cubed silken tofu
Tell us: What ingredient or dish do you keep in your freezer for near-instant comfort?
A New Way to Dinner, co-authored by Food52's founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, is an indispensable playbook for stress-free meal-planning (hint: cook foundational dishes on the weekend and mix and match ‘em through the week).
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Written by: Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm
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12 Comments
thanks for sharing you point of view and the fact that you have a bachelors degree also me all warm and fussy in this festive season , not sure what subject was your bachelor degree was in but it wasn't in making a counter argument that for sure, but if we to compare Christmas tree size I do hold 2 master and 4 bachelor degree all in food & services industry and can back it up with 35 years of work experience. I wish you all a merry xmas and hope that your culinary experience is a step up from frozen rice.
Look up bacillus cereus there and you will find this is develops in contaminated food at room temperature. End of story.
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