Congee, or rice porridge, seemingly first arose in the course of the Zhou dynasty in China round 1000 B.C. (through Food52). The phrase now related to the dish, congee, got here from the Tamil language of South Asia. However there are lots of completely different phrases throughout a number of cultures that consult with the dish. For instance, in Cantonese, it is jūk, and in Mandarin, it is zhōu, based on Post Magazine. Many individuals keep in mind their mothers making congee for them once they had been in poor health, as a result of it is simple to digest, however additionally it is historically served for breakfast in lots of locations or as a lightweight noon meal (through SBS).
When Linda Gao moved away from house for the primary time, from Australia to the U.Ok., she was drawn to instructing herself to make congee identical to her mom had made whereas she was rising up. In SBS, she described that also in the present day, consuming congee “appears like assembly an outdated pal.” Gao likened the dish to reuniting with an outdated pal with whom it appears like no time has handed though you have not seen one another for a very long time.
The essential recipe is rice boiled in water, however variations abound. The rice may very well be boiled in cow’s milk or coconut milk. Or one other grain or legume may very well be substituted for the rice or combined in with it. It might be served plain with aspect dishes, corresponding to eggs or pickled greens. Or issues may very well be added to the broth, like bouillon, hen, fish, greens, and herbs (through meals 52).
