Jook

AKA Congee. This is from Mark Bittman's book, "The Best Recipes in the World". He says basically that the extra ingredients really make it. I've included about three options below in the recipe itself--with vegetables, with meat and/or with seafood. It would be best to make this with homemade chicken stock because there aren't a whole of ingredients, and that's when homemade makes a big difference. This is good for breakfast or lunch, or part of a larger Chinese feast. I don't really know how long the prep is on this....it depends on whether or not you're crisping up some bacon, for one thing.

• Ready In: 3 hrs
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup short-grain rice
• 1⁄2 cup glutinous rice (or just more of the short-grain rice)
• 2  cups  chicken stock (or water)
• 3  inches  piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1⁄4 lb thick slab bacon (optional)
• 1⁄4 cup  minced scallion
• 1⁄4 cup  minced crisp-cooked bacon (optional)
• 1⁄2 cup roasted peanuts (optional)
•  dark sesame oil, for drizzling (optional)

Directions

1. Wash rice. Put in stockpot with stock or water. Place over high heat until it boils. Then add another 1 quart of water (4 cups). Bring to a boil again, then turn the heat to low.
2. Partially cover the pot. Simmer for about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure rice isn't sticking. Add ginger and slab bacon. Simmer for another hour. The jook should have a porridge-like consistency so if if it gets too thick too quickly, turn down heat and stir in some more water. When it is done, it will be soupy and creamy.
3. Remove slab bacon. Serve it in individual bowls, garnish with scallion, crisply cooked bacon bits and peanuts. Drizzle with the sesame oil.
4. JOOK WITH VEGETABLES: Soak 4 or 5 dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water until softened. Remove stems; chop. Omit slab bacon. Add mushrooms along with the ginger and 2 finely diced carrots. When it is almost done, stir in 1 Celsius fresh or frozen peas. Cook 10 more minutes. Garnish with same stuff and serve.
5. JOOK WITH MEAT: Cut the ginger into thin slivers instead of chopping it. Add it along with along with 1/2 lb. sirloin, sliced, or 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced, during the last 15 minutes of simmering.
6. JOOK WITH SEAFOOD: In the last 30 minutes of simmering, add 1/4 lb. cleaned squid, sliced. During last 5 minutes, add 1/4 lb. peeled, cleaned shrimp and 1/4 lb. firm white fish (skinned and sliced). You know, I think a one-lb pkg of seafood mix would work in this; okay, maybe with 1/4 of it removed. You would have to thaw it out beforehand and separate the squid so that you could put it in at the appropriate time by itself. (Discard the liquid that comes off from defrosting.) Seafood mix is available in the frozen seafood section.