Being that there's a wide variety of Asians in this Forum, I can bet that our tastes in Congee styles is probably also as varied as the forum. So my question is, what type of Congee (not ingredient, but rather regional cooking style) do you like and what kind of garnish (if any) do you like on top? My Congee is the standard Cantonese style, with thick fully boiled white rice, steeped with a liberal amount of 江瑤柱 (Dried Scallops); then sprinkled on top with raw ginger slivers, thinly shredded scrambled eggs, a sesame oil drizzle and a 油炸粿 (Youtiao) for dipping, on the side. How about you?
Hmmmm I like the pei dan sao yuk one.....Thousand years eggs with pork with only 5 chopped green onions. I hate the green onions but without that, the congee is missing something!
I'm actually not a huge fan of congee. But the ones they serve at Japanese restaurants as an appetizers are my style. Don't really know how to describe it.. But usually, homemade white congee with green onion does it for me. Maybe add a drop of soy sauce or some minced pork (the ones already premade). I had it too much when I had my wisdom teeth pulled out, will never look at congee the same way again
Well, allow me to clarify it a bit more; using a Pizza analogy, if I were to ask what regional Pizza style do you like best, and NOT what sort of toppings you have on it. Do you like the Chicago style deep dish, or the Italian Neapolitan or the Sicilian style? In essence, do you like congee that is made thick like the Cantonese Chinese, or do you prefer yours thinner, a soupy rice similar to the Japanese rice soup, or perhaps like the Korean style in which the congee is made with both rice and beans? In terms of garnish, do you prefer the pickled items like they do in Shanghai? Or would you prefer the hot and spicy adjuncts that they use in Malaysia?
I don't have a preference for congee but I grew up eating Teochew style congee.. it's more like watered down rice. It's very plain but served with salty sides side(s) like fermented bean curd, salted turnip with eggs, or shredded dried pork, garnished with green onion.
I don't often eat congee but sometimes is ok. I prefer the thin one and the rice has to be really melted, The cantonese style can be good but too heavy for me.
Yeah, I Green Onions (scallions) certainly adds a bit of flavor and texture; but if you don't care for them, have you ever tried Cilantro instead? It has its own flavor and aroma and can be chopped so fine that the texture can be adjusted to almost non-existent. I know my daughter hates scallions because she says it feels funny eating congee and then suddenly get something "foreign" feeling in with the rice. So with the Cilantro, we usually chop it real fine. Oh, and about those Century Eggs (皮蛋), good article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_egg
I hate cilantro, every plants that give flavors i hate them lol that s why i said only 5 chopped green onions more than that i can eat
Ha ha ha... Well, I tried. Never mind then. Funny though, but as I read your reply, I looked at your avatar and it was a perfect fit with your message, LOL... When I was growing up, I never realized that there were so many local variations on making Congee, such that the final product doesn't even resemble what I know as traditional Cantonese Congee. I remember ordering once "to go" from I place I never ate in before, and when I got home, was pissed that the congee looked like water with partially cooked rice. My wife looked at it and calmly said, "Oh yeah, that's the Tiel Zhou style of congee; it's more like soupy rice." That experience led me to read up more on the how different Asian regions cook up congee and since then I've learned there's a tremendous amount of variation. Also, the toppings that one can put as garnishing are also regionally unique.
I like that too, but I like green onion in it... I also like pork rips/bones in it, I also like cuttlefish/squid, love the texture with conger with some pickled sweet vegs... Too many options.
As a child when I went to Cantonese restaurants I've always wondered why the congee was more soupy and flavorful compared to home and I just came to the conclusion that my parents/grandma were just horrible at cooking congee lol. I didn't want to hurt their feelings either so I never mentioned it and I only realized later on in life that what I was eating was Teochew congee .
It's true, but not everything at once. Most of us are familiar with the Cantonese style, where the rice has broken down and mixed well with the water to form a thicker paste yet still smooth. I tried congee cooked with clay pots using either wood or charcoal, that added more flavor and better texture. The base is the most important for a good congee. You can than add almost anything in it. I tried it in Guangzhou in some smaller town. Most of the added ingredients were added raw into my pot of congee and cooked for another few minutes. Of course there were a few other garnish added after.
