Depending on where you’re from, congee is also called kanji, jook, rice porridge, zhou, xi fan and sometimes even gruel. There are many varieties of this dish, but simply put, it is rice boiled in a large amount of liquid, sometimes with a variety of meats and or vegetables, till it softens and starts to break apart.
Recipe Notes:
> You can use red rice, white rice and broken wheat or a combination of these to make congee.
> You can use freshly squeezed coconut milk, tinned coconut milk or even coconut milk powder in this recipe.
> Having the congee thick is a personal preference; but you can add more stock, water or coconut milk to give it a more watery consistency.
> When the congee cools down, it can become thick and almost solid. Just warm it up on low to medium heat and add about 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid. Then gently stir until it reaches the desired consistency.
> For the stock I usually use the water that I boil the chicken in. To do that, I added a little over 1 liter of water, about 1 tsp pepper powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder and salt to taste. Then I pressure cooked the chicken until it was nice and tender and easy to shred. I got 1 liter of stock which I used to make the congee.
> You can also use stock cubes instead but just make sure not to add too much salt, as stock cubes are salty and full of preservatives.
> For the topping, I just sprinkled some red chili flakes before serving, but you can fry some onions too until they’re nice and crispy. It is a delicious alternative.
I’ve made this recipe in many ways. Sometimes I use white rice, sometimes red. At other times I’ve combined red rice with broken wheat. Today I’m using bulgar because I wanted to avoid rice and make a kind of a healthier option.
What is Bulgur? Also called Burgol, it originates in Middle Eastern cuisine and are wheat berries that are partially hulled, steamed, then cracked and dried. This cereal is made from the cracked parboiled groats of several varieties of wheat species, most often from durum wheat.
This congee is incredibly nourishing and delicious. You can also enjoy a vegetarian version by simply leaving out the chicken and making it with vegetable stock and adding come veggies like potato and carrot.
You can also make a different meat version by using boneless mutton, beef or even fish pieces instead of chicken.
You can also check out the demo video on my Youtube Channel - @bulgurchickencongee
Ingredients:
2 cups bulgur
1 large onion, sliced
1 medium tomato, chopped
3 small green chillies, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 sprig of curry leaves
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 litre chicken stock
3 cups thick coconut milk
Salt to taste
For the tempered mix:
600g chicken, boiled and shredded
1 small onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 sprig of curry leaves
2 cardamom
1" piece of cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 to 3 tbsp coconut oil
Method:
Place a deep pan on medium heat.
Add the bulgur.
Now toss in the onion, tomato, green chillies, garlic, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, salt and turmeric powder.
Pour in the chicken stock.
Combine well, cover and cook.
When the liquid is absorbed almost completely, pour in the coconut milk.
Combine well, cover and cook again.
While this is cooking, separately, heat the oil in a shallow pan on a medium to high flame.
Toss in the onion, garlic, curry leaves, cardamom, cinnamon and cumin seeds.
Stir-fry for a minute or so.
Now add the shredded chicken.
Combine everything and stir-fry until the chicken becomes nice and crispy.
Leave aside until it's needed.
Coming back to the congee, remove the cover once the liquid is around 80% absorbed.
Toss in the tempered chicken mix.
Combine well and take it off the heat.
As I mentioned previously, I prefer it on the thicker side, but if you want a more watery consistency, you can add in about 1/2 or 1 cup of liquid such as stock, water or coconut milk and stir until it reaches the desired consistency.
Sprinkle some red chilli flakes or crispy onions and enjoy it hot for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Enjoy!
XOXO, Jovanka
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