I prefer a short or medium grain white rice, a starchier type of rice. It makes a creamy porridge more quickly. If you only have long grain white (like jasmine), add a little sweet glutinous rice. Or you can simmer for a long time (like an hour) and stir constantly to keep the bottom of the pot from burning. As the rice breaks down, the porridge will become thick and creamy.
Short answer: whatever rice your dinner table guests would enjoy.
Longer answer: for a more authentic congee, you'll want to source Chinese rice.
In many of the rice-consuming nations of Asia, the concept of rice cultivars is much more aware to the average cook (as well as regionality). So individual cooks will favor a certain cultivar just as a baker might favor a certain type of apple for baking a pie. In Japan, many people have specific rice cultivar favorites (koshihikari from Niigata, a newer cultivar called Milky Queen, etc.).
Here in the United States, there's almost zero concept of rice cultivars in your typical supermarket selection. You have to go to an Asian grocery store to see a wider variety of Asian rices which still pales to what one would find in Asia.
I see from your profile that you are located in Frankfurt which probably has some Asian grocery stores. You should head to those rather than some big European chain like Billa or Tesco.
Beyond the concept of rice cultivars is the selection. Ideally for making congee, one would use broken rice grains which will release their starches more quickly than trying to cook whole grains until they break apart. Unfortunately for home cooks, most of the broken rice grains are sorted out mechanically to be saved for commercial or institutional usage cases since it's the intact rice grains that are prized.
From a practical standpoint, find an Asian (Chinese) rice you will eat on a regular basis and make congee from that. Unless you are eating congee regularly (like more than once a week) it makes little sense to source out a congee-specific rice product.
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Longer answer: for a more authentic congee, you'll want to source Chinese rice.
In many of the rice-consuming nations of Asia, the concept of rice cultivars is much more aware to the average cook (as well as regionality). So individual cooks will favor a certain cultivar just as a baker might favor a certain type of apple for baking a pie. In Japan, many people have specific rice cultivar favorites (koshihikari from Niigata, a newer cultivar called Milky Queen, etc.).
Here in the United States, there's almost zero concept of rice cultivars in your typical supermarket selection. You have to go to an Asian grocery store to see a wider variety of Asian rices which still pales to what one would find in Asia.
I see from your profile that you are located in Frankfurt which probably has some Asian grocery stores. You should head to those rather than some big European chain like Billa or Tesco.
Beyond the concept of rice cultivars is the selection. Ideally for making congee, one would use broken rice grains which will release their starches more quickly than trying to cook whole grains until they break apart. Unfortunately for home cooks, most of the broken rice grains are sorted out mechanically to be saved for commercial or institutional usage cases since it's the intact rice grains that are prized.
From a practical standpoint, find an Asian (Chinese) rice you will eat on a regular basis and make congee from that. Unless you are eating congee regularly (like more than once a week) it makes little sense to source out a congee-specific rice product.
Best of luck.