Rice porridge “jook” is an all day food, although typically eaten at breakfast.  Some people like their jook simple with only one choice of meat, others may add a whole enchilada of meats, pickles and vegetables. There is a popular “whole hog” version that essentially includes all parts of the pig such as large intestines croutons, red tofu – quite literally from head to tail except for the meat – before whole hog dining became trendy!

The recipe below is a base recipe for jook.

Chef’s tip:  Soaking the rice overnight helps create a smooth porridge.    Some folks believe that if you add a handful of cooked rice to the raw rice, it makes for an even starchier consistency.  If you prefer a heavier consistency, reduce the amounts of liquid.

1/2 cup jasmine or arborio rice
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoons canola oil
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water

Serves: 4

1. Rinse rice. Soak rice with salt and oil overnight in 2 cups water.
2. In a large pot, add rice with soaking water, broth and remaining water.
3. Bring to boil and turn down heat. Simmer for 1-1 1/2 hour, stirring occasionally until the rice breaks down and forms a smooth gruel.  Stir occasionally to help breakdown the rice morsels.

Variations:
For chicken jook, add sliced chicken that is marinated with sesame oil, soy sauce and a little corn starch.    Bring to a boil until chicken is cooked, about 3 minutes.  Serve with juliened fresh ginger, green onions, generous sprinkling of white pepper, a dash of sesame oil and fried garlic crisps.

For fish jook, placed sliced white fish onto a serving bowl with some ginger and white pepper. Ladle on some boiling jook.  Bring back to boil and remove from heat.  Serve immediately with julienned fresh ginger, green onions, generous sprinkling of white pepper and soy sauce.

For meatballs jook, mix ground pork with some sesame oil, soy sauce and white pepper. Using 2 teaspoons, form meatballs and drop into some boiling jook. Bring back to boil until meatballs float to the top.  Serve with julienned fresh ginger, green onions, generous sprinkling of white pepper, a dash of sesame oil and soy sauce.

The options for toppings are endless – from thousand year old eggs to pickled mustard, fried baby anchovies and peanuts to smoked tofu, pork liver, etc.

Tags: Cantonese, Chinese, dim sum