Chinese Porridge (Congee or Jook) Recipe

Chinese Porridge (Congee or Jook) Recipe

  • 1 cup uncooked white rice
  • 5 dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 8 cups water, divided, or as needed
  • 1 leftover turkey carcass
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce, or more to taste
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 piece Chinese salted turnip
  • 2 slices fresh ginger root
  • 16 ounces flat dried bean curd
  • 1 pinch salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup shelled raw peanuts
  1. Place rice into a container and cover with several inches of cool water; let soak 8 hours to overnight. Drain.
  2. Soak dried mushrooms in a bowl of warm water until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain and slice into strips.
  3. Bring 4 cups water and drained rice to a boil in a pot. Cook until rice breaks down into a thick and mushy consistency, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker.
  4. Bring 4 cups water and turkey carcass to a boil in a large pot. Simmer until broth forms, about 45 minutes. Skim fat from the surface of the broth.
  5. Strain turkey broth into the slow cooker. Pull meat off the carcass and shred; transfer to a bowl. Mix in soy sauce. Discard turkey bones.
  6. Stir mushrooms, 1 cup boiling water, garlic, salted turnip, and ginger into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 4 to 5 hours.
  7. Soak dried bean curd in a bowl of warm water until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with running water. Break up bean curd into bite-sized pieces.
  8. Stir bean curd pieces into the slow cooker. Cook on High for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  9. Spoon congee into individual bowls. Top with 2 tablespoons of turkey meat and peanuts.