Have you tried rice congee? [Cooking]
2006 Dec 1
I lived in Singapore for a while and walking to work in the morning I'd pass little stands with congee cooking away, often served with seafood. While the city is one of the world's greatest eating destinations in general, my poor bacon-eggs-and-toast palate couldn't handle the unfamiliar morning smells. I'd always have to hold my breath for fear of gagging on the odour.
The microwave in my furnished apartment also had a "Congee" setting. But it had a "Shark's Fin Soup" setting, too. :-)
The microwave in my furnished apartment also had a "Congee" setting. But it had a "Shark's Fin Soup" setting, too. :-)
2006 Dec 1
Ashley, I like rice congee too! I've made it a few times, sometimes for a late breakfast on weekends.
Anyways, there *used* to be a restaurant on the south side of Somerset between Booth and Preston that specialized in congee and some simple noodle soups. I think it was called "... Noodle House" Their "deep fried sticks" were the best I've had (they usually seem stale in other places).
That place is gone now (maybe replaced by Northern Han Northern Han ?), but a Google search turned up the following recommendation on eGullet (forums.egullet.org):
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You can order some dim sum items off the menu at Cafe Orient. It's on Somerset, near that Crazy Fashion store. Cafe Orient's congee is also excellent.
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Cafe Orient is on my wishlist already, so I must have heard good things about it! Cafe Orient
Anyways, there *used* to be a restaurant on the south side of Somerset between Booth and Preston that specialized in congee and some simple noodle soups. I think it was called "... Noodle House" Their "deep fried sticks" were the best I've had (they usually seem stale in other places).
That place is gone now (maybe replaced by Northern Han Northern Han ?), but a Google search turned up the following recommendation on eGullet (forums.egullet.org):
-----
You can order some dim sum items off the menu at Cafe Orient. It's on Somerset, near that Crazy Fashion store. Cafe Orient's congee is also excellent.
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Cafe Orient is on my wishlist already, so I must have heard good things about it! Cafe Orient
2006 Dec 1
Mark, I almost forgot about Cafe Orient (I only remember the Chinese name) and I do a lookup and now know which one you refer to. Actually, we go to this place for wonton noodles quite often. The food there are not bad. But I haven't tried their rice congee yet. Have you tried their hot "coffee & tea" mixed drink? Hong Kong style. But is very popular in Hong Kong.
We haven't tried Northern Han yet. Is that place clean? After we tried Brother Wu, we were scared off for a long time.
Talking about traditional Northern Chinese food, my husband likes those steamed dumpling, pan-fried dumpling, drunken chicken (chicken submerged in Shaoxing Chinese rice wine), green onion pancake, fried rice cake.
We haven't tried Northern Han yet. Is that place clean? After we tried Brother Wu, we were scared off for a long time.
Talking about traditional Northern Chinese food, my husband likes those steamed dumpling, pan-fried dumpling, drunken chicken (chicken submerged in Shaoxing Chinese rice wine), green onion pancake, fried rice cake.
2006 Dec 3
The old congee place used to be where "May Lynh" (May Lynh) is now -- not Northern Han, as I had originally posted.
I know this doesn't help you but I just had to correct myself!
I know this doesn't help you but I just had to correct myself!
2006 Dec 6
Most Chinese restaurants serve two different kinds of congee:
- The first one is called white congee. White plain congee is rice cooked with water and optional bean curd for around 4 to 5 hours. White congess has no taste (no salt or any other flavor). Sometimes it is eaten with deep-fried bread stick or fried noodles.
- The other kind of congee is the one that come with meat. The chef uses white congee as the base and adds other ingredients to it. Common ingredients of congee include pork, ground beef, chicken, clam, octopus, fish or pig intestine. The chef cooks the ingredient with boiling congee for a few minutes. After the chef pours congee into a bowl, you can add some peanut, chopped green onions, chopped ginger and a little bit of white pepper powder.
Congee is particularly popular for breakfast or late night snack. They are considered warming and soothing for your stomach. Congee is highly recommended for people suffering from fatigue, digestive problems and illness (I served my children turkey congee when they had their wisdom teeth taken out and they recovered very quickly). It is easy to digest and contains nutrients in ready form to be absorbed and used, thereby enabling quick boady revitalization.
To make congee, rice is boiled in lots of water/broth until the rice break down into the water and become the texture of creamy rice cereal.
Here is the recipe for a homemade chicken congee:
1/2 cup (rice cooker cup) short-grained rice (or sushi rice)
1/2 cup (rice cooker cup) glutinous rice (or long grain is also ok)
few slices of ginger
6 cups chicken broth (or use 6.5 cups of water with 2 chicken legs, salted over night) - if you like it to be watery, use 7 cups.
If you have a rice cooker that can cook congee, just dump the ingredients into the rice cooker and cook for 2 hours (of course, use the congee setting). When it is done, taste it and add sea salt according to your salt level.
P.S. I got the photo from the website of "Congee Wong" in Toronto. (Here the word "Wong" is not the surname. It means the "king" literally.)
- The first one is called white congee. White plain congee is rice cooked with water and optional bean curd for around 4 to 5 hours. White congess has no taste (no salt or any other flavor). Sometimes it is eaten with deep-fried bread stick or fried noodles.
- The other kind of congee is the one that come with meat. The chef uses white congee as the base and adds other ingredients to it. Common ingredients of congee include pork, ground beef, chicken, clam, octopus, fish or pig intestine. The chef cooks the ingredient with boiling congee for a few minutes. After the chef pours congee into a bowl, you can add some peanut, chopped green onions, chopped ginger and a little bit of white pepper powder.
Congee is particularly popular for breakfast or late night snack. They are considered warming and soothing for your stomach. Congee is highly recommended for people suffering from fatigue, digestive problems and illness (I served my children turkey congee when they had their wisdom teeth taken out and they recovered very quickly). It is easy to digest and contains nutrients in ready form to be absorbed and used, thereby enabling quick boady revitalization.
To make congee, rice is boiled in lots of water/broth until the rice break down into the water and become the texture of creamy rice cereal.
Here is the recipe for a homemade chicken congee:
1/2 cup (rice cooker cup) short-grained rice (or sushi rice)
1/2 cup (rice cooker cup) glutinous rice (or long grain is also ok)
few slices of ginger
6 cups chicken broth (or use 6.5 cups of water with 2 chicken legs, salted over night) - if you like it to be watery, use 7 cups.
If you have a rice cooker that can cook congee, just dump the ingredients into the rice cooker and cook for 2 hours (of course, use the congee setting). When it is done, taste it and add sea salt according to your salt level.
P.S. I got the photo from the website of "Congee Wong" in Toronto. (Here the word "Wong" is not the surname. It means the "king" literally.)
2006 Dec 10
Here is the homemade "spare ribs" congee I made this morning.
This is the breakfast for my elder son and our lunch today.
My elder son has an exam at 2:00 PM today (can you believe an exam on Sunday?). I think hot rice congee will make his stomach feel good, esp in the winter time.
I bought the ribs (side or back, back is preferred though) from Farm Boy. I blanched the ribs using hot boiling water (to get rid of the layer of white stuff floating on the water) and spread sea salt evenly on the ribs. Let it cool off and then put in the fridge overnight.
Next morning, boil a pot of water. Put the ribs in the pot to boil again. Put the rice (1 cup) and few slices of ginger to the pot and let it simmer for 2-3 hours. Make sure you don't burn the bottom.
Since I have already put salt on the rib, you don't need to put any salt to the congee any more.
Okay. This is my last post about rice congee.
This is the breakfast for my elder son and our lunch today.
My elder son has an exam at 2:00 PM today (can you believe an exam on Sunday?). I think hot rice congee will make his stomach feel good, esp in the winter time.
I bought the ribs (side or back, back is preferred though) from Farm Boy. I blanched the ribs using hot boiling water (to get rid of the layer of white stuff floating on the water) and spread sea salt evenly on the ribs. Let it cool off and then put in the fridge overnight.
Next morning, boil a pot of water. Put the ribs in the pot to boil again. Put the rice (1 cup) and few slices of ginger to the pot and let it simmer for 2-3 hours. Make sure you don't burn the bottom.
Since I have already put salt on the rib, you don't need to put any salt to the congee any more.
Okay. This is my last post about rice congee.
2007 May 27
Got up earlier to cook spare-rib congee for the family (allow at least 2 hours to simmer). Bought some spare ribs from Farm Boy yesterday. Sprinkled the ribs with salt last night and soaked the rice in water overnight. Hopefully the soup base made a good congee for lunch.
Heard that there is a new Hong Kong style won-ton noodle and congee place in Chinatown (something called Jo Moon Ting). Will check this out when I got a chance. Mark, you can check it out first before I do.
Heard that there is a new Hong Kong style won-ton noodle and congee place in Chinatown (something called Jo Moon Ting). Will check this out when I got a chance. Mark, you can check it out first before I do.
2007 May 28
I get my congee from my in-laws. They like using cooked chicken or turkey carcasses.
When I was a teenager, I wore braces so congee was one of the foods that I ate to fill me up when my teeth were sore after coming back from the orthodontist.
It’s comfort food for me but I can’t remember the last time I had congee at a restaurant.
When I was a teenager, I wore braces so congee was one of the foods that I ate to fill me up when my teeth were sore after coming back from the orthodontist.
It’s comfort food for me but I can’t remember the last time I had congee at a restaurant.
2007 Jun 6
Actually a new congee place was opened not too long ago on Somerset @ Rochester. The congee isn't the best compared to some of the places in Toronto but probably the best you could find in Ottawa. The 5-spiced beef shank is pretty good too.
If you are ever in Toronto, make sure to stop by Congee Wong on Finch @ Leslie, their congee is AMAZING! Great price too.
If you are ever in Toronto, make sure to stop by Congee Wong on Finch @ Leslie, their congee is AMAZING! Great price too.
Ashley
Congee can be made in a pot, or in a rice cooker. Some rice cookers even have a "congee" setting, allowing the user to cook their breakfast congee overnight.
Here is the wikipedia's definition of congee:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congee
In Ottawa, I can't find any good places specialized in rice congee. Sometimes, some dim-sum places (Yangzte, Fortune Express, Beijing Tianrun) offer rice congee. But you need the "deep-fried stick" to go with the rice congee.
In Toronto, there are many of them and you won't have trouble finding them. My friend recommends me to try "Congee Queen".
A good rice congee is "brewed" with chicken broth.
P.S. When you are sick or have stomach problem, rice congee is the best food.