Why We Eat Congee, The Humble Rice Porridge

Рет қаралды 80,920

2 жыл бұрын

Lucas Sin, chef of Nice Day Chinese and Junzi Kitchen, demonstrates how to make and unpacks the history behind congee, a Chinese rice porridge that has been eaten for centuries. Congee is a humble dish often eaten for breakfast, by children, or when ill; the porridge’s thick, velvety texture and abundance of nutrients has made it a staple not only in China but around the world, through slightly different preparations. Lucas explores shatin chicken congee, a comforting dish made with galangal-spiced poached chicken, century egg, dried scallops, and a mixture of two kinds of rice.
Check out the recipe here: www.vice.com/en/article/n7bd5...
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Пікірлер: 133

@bambinal1437 2 жыл бұрын

I have eaten congee without knowing it. My Mom used to make this when I was little. Didn't have century eggs but Mom used vinegar! She'd soak the rice overnight, and add vinegar to the rice - about a tsp for a pot! Dried fish. I believe she used salted Cod. The chicken was cooked off for the broth and then chicken was shredded up in the soup. Green onion and sometimes dill weed because it would grow wild. We ate this for breakfast or when I was sick. I love it. It's comfort food. She called it Chicken 'N Rice. LOL :)

@143summer28 2 жыл бұрын

I'm filipina so I grew up eating Arroz Caldo, it's my top comfort foods ever & holds a permanent place in my heart.. But I highly recommend looking up the Chinese way of my making congee, as it is arguably the best & orginal way of making rice porridge.

@arieswoman824 2 жыл бұрын

I originate from Kerala, Southern India which saw many Chinese traders. You can see their influence with the Chinese fishing nets, China chattis (Chinese vessels or pots) and Kanji which is rice gruel eaten when we are ill or need a simple comfort meal.

@DB-xo6xh 3 ай бұрын

Gruel… 😅 such a great word. Gruel always had a very negative connotation for me growing up.

@EsteffersonTorres 2 жыл бұрын

In Brazil we have a similar dish called "canja", it's a soup made with rice and chicken. As with congee is considered a healing food and it was the favorite food of brazilian emperor Pedro II. I also read the word "canja" might have originated from "congee".

@porothashawarma2339 2 жыл бұрын

We call it Kanji here in South India , literally the same thing but it's just boiled rice soup with some pickle and chutney as an accompaniment

@MehrGanguly 2 жыл бұрын

anthropologically speaking, from Kanji it became canja in portugese. So I reckon its the same canja in Brazil too.

@blurryface6261 2 жыл бұрын

05:48

@bruna.brandt0303 2 ай бұрын

I am a addict to our Canja and I am recently addicted to Congee ❤.

@DreamcastQ 2 жыл бұрын

Lucas has a lot of knowledge to share, more videos with him cooking please

@ameree 2 жыл бұрын

i love how he has so much to share about congee

@vennsim71 2 жыл бұрын

He really know his stuff. Short grain rice and jasmin rice of east and south east Asia is the best. And economies of scale these days have bring it down much cheaper than other rice types :)

@ThePoignancy 2 жыл бұрын

He is the most eloquent chef I've ever heard

@ti3ger 2 жыл бұрын

Agreed:)

@SupremeChickenx 2 жыл бұрын

wow i love this guy. i hope he's in more videos

@magiklam2991 2 жыл бұрын

As someone from Hong Kong, nothing beats a bowl of congee on a Sunday morning

@unitedrulez 2 жыл бұрын

Grew up eating “Kanji” which is a staple in Kerala, India or in “Mallu” houses all around the world. Probably many South Indian cultures have something similar. The “Kanji” version, at least the one in Kerala, is just rice and you eat it with cooked vegetables, beans or fish on the side. Years later I was on a Japan airline flight from New York to Tokyo and they served “Shrimp Congee”. It’s probably the best thing I have ever eaten on a flight. Got hooked and now I often cooks the East Asian version with chicken or shrimp especially if my toddler gets sick. He loves it. It’s amazing how food travels around the world and every version is amazing. Great video!

@vivekross9751 2 жыл бұрын

As a tamilian I love congee, eating with spicy dry fish and pickels 😋😋

@DB-xo6xh 3 ай бұрын

Ooo…what kind of fish and what kind of pickles?

@MsLaBajo 13 күн бұрын

Congee is healing bc it has a bone broth base which contains high levels of collagen which helps support the enteric tissues in the intestine, secondly it contains a high amount of protein as a result of the chicken and it also contains minerals from the bone. Also it is healing because it's essentially broken down starch that is easy to digest and not taxing to the body which also gives your digestion a break, which means your body can focus on recovering or fighting bugs. We studied this food in nutrition class. I definitely view this porridge as a type of stew. Stews for nourishing sick people or children/elderly people is universal.

@nora-Lirong 2 жыл бұрын

He is back yaaayyyyy😆 I really think the chef must have his own program I will watch it any time! Thank you vice!

@oo8962 2 жыл бұрын

Congee is like my favorite food along with fried stuff and soups. I just can't understand how congee tastes so good even if you literally only add salt+pepper+msg with zero toppings or any kind of stocks like HOW? What kind of sorcery is this? When I was really broke I would just grab random leftover rice and make it into congee only adding salt, pepper and msg. That's like my favorite meal of the day.

@deaconsmom2000 2 жыл бұрын

I LOVE this! Haven't had it in years, but I crave it often. I never get real Chinese food anymore now that my friends are gone back home or gone to eternity. I miss them more than I miss the food.

@bossman674 3 ай бұрын

I’ve made this recipe, multiple times, exactly how he does it in the video and it is exceptional. Perfect dinner food as well. Light, filling, easy to digest and nutritious… exactly what you need. Thank you Lucas!

@jajuniorboy 2 жыл бұрын

In Thailand, we have congee with minced pork balls, pork intestines, poached egg, and ginger with maggi, a little vinegar and some chilli flakes. It’s so good and savory!

@Kat.n.that_ 5 ай бұрын

Mom my is famous for her egg drop congee. You boil the rice until it’s done, turn off the fire and slowly stir in a few eggs with some salt or fish sauce.

@wayfaringstranger5808 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your references to the rice-loving Tamizh cuilture!!

@lizdesouza4027 22 күн бұрын

Love his style of cooking congee which I love!!

@thecottagehomemaker4223 Жыл бұрын

This was fascinating to watch!! Does this chef have his own program? I could watch him for days! I LOVE learning in the way he taught!!

@Chac500 2 жыл бұрын

My absolute favorite. Best on cold rainy mornings!

@kaycurrie9356 3 ай бұрын

BEST Congee video I’ve watched! Thank you for sharing so many details. Helped very much🥣🥣

@mmlo9927 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!! Your details & explanation are easy to digest😂😂😂/to understand, and not hard to make. Once again Thank you! 🙏 🙏🙏

@tickled41 4 ай бұрын

omg perfect, I was looking for a congee recipe. Love Lucas.

@vishnupthampy6562 2 жыл бұрын

This guy knows his food.

@naturewanderer1609 2 жыл бұрын

We call it kanjee here in coastal parts of India. South Indians eat it with fish chutney 😋 I love how our food brings us so close to the other parts of the world ❤️

@MrBoliao98 2 жыл бұрын

I tot most of you just eat thosai, daal and appam

@naturewanderer1609 2 жыл бұрын

@@MrBoliao98 Haha Nope!! Here check out this video you might get to learn more of South Indian food 🙏❤️ kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hJN0gZZlv8ran2w.html

@fairlyfrugalph845 5 ай бұрын

9:19 Yasss! I love arroz caldo, too! I lean toward savory when it comes to congee. The sweet one is called champorado.

@mallucanuck 2 жыл бұрын

We call it the same in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, India. It's just spelled Kanji.

@sev3n7z 2 жыл бұрын

He talks about it

@brombabromba 2 жыл бұрын

I love the way he speaks about food

@Free_Snooki 2 жыл бұрын

Lucas is so cute. My little fortune cookie. _🥠🙊💕_

@MehrGanguly 2 жыл бұрын

i LOVE the food stories by Lucas Sin

@0000asdfasdf0000 2 жыл бұрын

Wow this guy knows his rice and kanjee.... he's like "Tamil in India" ! amazing he get's his phonetics spelling "kunjee"! i love it! oh my goodness this guy @5:57 is so so right! omg mate can you please make a truffle or vegan kanjee! i would love it! or a traditional tamil indian one!

@xoannabellexo96 2 жыл бұрын

More Lucas! 💖

@marie-francoisebarillot2658 Жыл бұрын

Merci beaucoup from France! I was looking for a good recipe of congee, reminder of some years spent in SE Asia. This chef has a very good knowledge on food and explains so well. Very very interesting. Thanks again.

@Thai8800 2 жыл бұрын

I love congee one of my favorite soups. Thank you for the 101 congee interesting 🤍☺️

@andreasyogi1758 2 жыл бұрын

Noodle, fried rice, is same as poured. Spread and adapted with local entity. Amazing

@ch-wz6us 2 жыл бұрын

Delicious!

@chyu89 2 жыл бұрын

The Sin brothers are good at what they do. Lucas, Johnny... ...

@weeslayer 2 жыл бұрын

There's a difference between the two. The one shown here is congee, a Southern delicacy which contains a dozen ingredients eg. fish peanuts vegetables. Porridge is a starch source in the North and is mostly white rice or millet, sometimes with beans.

@carltomacruz9138 13 күн бұрын

Congee is a type of porridge. Hell, "Congee" isn't even a Chinese word. The proper words for rice porridge is Zhou in Mandarin, and Juk in Cantonese.

@weeslayer 13 күн бұрын

@@carltomacruz9138 Why would I use zhou or juk here? I would have to explain everytime it's actually congee. Yeah the word derives from Tamil, that doesn't mean it a Filipino invention, jesus. Anyway my point was, in the south it's called zhou, in the north is xifan, and there's a significant difference between the two. If anyone's interested they can go check the wiki page. I don't need you to lecture me on this topic, tyvm

@saumya_42 2 жыл бұрын

Lucas is so awesome! VICE push more videos of him!

@eliyoung5770 2 жыл бұрын

We eat in Portugal but call it canja I love it special in the winter 😍😍

@dexterchan924 2 жыл бұрын

Amazing

@KassNi 2 жыл бұрын

Comfort food for the heart!!

@frances3749 2 жыл бұрын

About the century eggs part, if you don't have one you can always use a tiny amount of baking soda / dietary alkali instead.

@ronelyrodriguez5120 Жыл бұрын

I love that you have mentioned our arrozcaldo ❤️

@chenlucas9516 2 жыл бұрын

yes Lucas Sin on Vice!! Bro u gotta start ur own youtube channel plz!!

@Kat.n.that_ 5 ай бұрын

Growing up, my mom would tell me, in the old country, baby’s and kids didn’t have cows milk, we had congee water and that’s what we drank to grow big and strong.

@vannatruong226 Жыл бұрын

Look soooooo delicious ❤

@TheLunaPulvia 2 жыл бұрын

Love Lucas he's cool

@NewfieAsianKid Жыл бұрын

My fav asian dish.

@leanderbarreto6523 2 жыл бұрын

We eat plain rice and water canji in Goa with pickle on the side

@MrLue9 2 жыл бұрын

very nice

@patrickjdarrow 2 жыл бұрын

FYI, I tried a short-grain brown rice version for the added fiber and nuttiness and it is totally worth a shot

@davidhunt240 2 жыл бұрын

I was taught to make this by a very good Chinese friend many years ago (long since vanished) and making it reminds me of him. I like to start making it the night before, soak the rice in chicken stock and then in the morning it just needs a few little extras and some heat and it's done. It's a shame about the way HK has gone, but inevitable I guess.

@moila04 Жыл бұрын

In Bangladesh we call this Zhou. I love eating it, we have it with boiled egg or curries. It is good when sick

@llvzz5240 2 жыл бұрын

it's called 皮蛋瘦肉粥 in China。 It's the best hangover food since it's warm and soft.

@tiffmonique7154 2 жыл бұрын

Love congee

@alexandersillan8139 2 жыл бұрын

Yum… I love congee

@praymunread9985 2 жыл бұрын

Rice Rice baby!! Love Congee but hard to find!!

@czar7951 2 жыл бұрын

This reminds me of Filipino Arroz Caldo. Congee and Chicken. Arroz Caldo has tons of ginger tho. But this is technically the same thing.

@lewildale28 2 жыл бұрын

@Czar Austin Lleses He mentioned Arroz Caldo as one of his favorites at 9:18 to 9:22

@vukkulvar9769 8 ай бұрын

Congee with chicken is the best! It'll hydrate you and provide amino acids that can be used by the body to heal. It's easy to digest so it doesn't upset the digestive tract when it's weakened by being sick.

@jmudikun Жыл бұрын

I love me some Lucas :D

@quirkykidsph 2 жыл бұрын

Rice is not easier to grow as it is faster. Those two are different. It's why Asian elders scold you if you waste rice. They know the effort it takes to grow and harvest rice. It's still hard to grow but it's made relatively faster because of agricultural science and technology.

@dreakupo 2 жыл бұрын

reminds me of arroz caldo

@cupidsamour Жыл бұрын

“So we abstain from eating fatty foods” me shoveling down 3 Chinese donuts with it

@tiendungdoan3380 2 жыл бұрын

man knows too much about rice and I love it

@joeychu8917 2 жыл бұрын

HONGKONG!!!!

@nopenonein Жыл бұрын

The chef is wrong about Jasmine Rice. It is not stored with Jasmine Flowers. It is a variety of rice known to have a subtle smell of Pandanus. Jasmine flowers are so expensive that nobody would waste it on rice.

@travollic7762 2 жыл бұрын

I like to eat my congee/porridge with sambal

@triggahappyyt5420 2 жыл бұрын

I used to have congee after clubbing to get sober and settle my stomache from the alcohol lol.

@TheAlwini 2 жыл бұрын

Nice educational video on congee. Just to clarify some of the medicinal aspect, the spleen is not in the slightest involved in the digestion of food. It is however a very cool little organ that aids your red blood cells and immune system!

@drgeorgek 2 жыл бұрын

Furthermore the gut doesn’t need lubrication as he states. But that’s ok let’s not ruin an old tradition other than to say that that’s what they believed and probably, as he further states, the benefit is it’s filling effect and thus making on avoid fattier and richer foods. Also many cultures have a chicken soup dish that is restorative which I believe is due to the anti inflammatory/aspirin like nature in the soup (unverified- just what I have heard)

@guyreviewer105 2 жыл бұрын

@@drgeorgek One must remember that our forefathers were often not formally educated. Handing down word-of-mouth knowledge is so very important to every culture especially when written archives were sometimes impossible. The word "lubrication" might have been a colloquial expression of a gut feeling (literally) rather than a medical fact. Also whatever they said in Chinese (given it is a medical fact) had also been translated into English. So the word gets "diluted" like the congee. LOL.

@GentleStrengthHolistics 2 жыл бұрын

In traditional Chinese medicine theory, the spleen IS responsible for digesting the food. The stomach 'rots and ripens' your food, not digests it like the western system.

@clementchinsterer Жыл бұрын

Cooking is my love and profession. I enjoy your tubes lots. I only have a small comment. Pl speak a little slower and also some parts are complicated as you speed up your talk. missed some parts. tks for your insight of cooking.

@jordanwu5202 2 жыл бұрын

This man had no business dropping this much knowledge about congee

@OXMStudios 2 жыл бұрын

Chef Sin : "THIS is rice'' Me, unironically: 🤯

@s.s.s4269 2 жыл бұрын

In malaysia congee is for breakfast😂😂

@mosesnjuguna 2 жыл бұрын

Yess afellow survivor fan 🙌🙌🙌

@easyrecipesanddeliciousfoo2954 2 жыл бұрын

💖🌷💖🌷💖👍

@NpgSymboL Жыл бұрын

I want Avgolemono :)

@olfrud 2 жыл бұрын

what's the knife he is using? edit: I mean, what brand?

@ShredST 2 жыл бұрын

CCK

@0arjun077 2 жыл бұрын

കഞ്ഞി ഒരു വലിയ സംഭവം തന്നെ.

@YesToLifeAlways 24 күн бұрын

I think its hzrd to follow the recipe because youre talking lore about the history and chemistry. Which is nice. But 😅 i also wanted to follow z recipe.

@mr.authentic2505 Жыл бұрын

we called this SANPIAU

@ItsAnDeex3 Жыл бұрын

For the 1000 year egg, I just cut it in. Not mush it all together into the rice

@monisha2698 2 жыл бұрын

Kanji ftw

@Jppl03 2 жыл бұрын

Sadanam kayyil indo?

@0arjun077 2 жыл бұрын

Und

@winderraine 2 жыл бұрын

Did he said rice is easy to grow?

@afnaans.a.c4918 2 жыл бұрын

In tamilnadu we call it as kannjee 😅

@Noteworthy2024 2 жыл бұрын

Where do I get a century egg… lol 😂

@muhammadnurikhwanismail5216 2 жыл бұрын

his skin tho might as well share some beauty tips lucas..

@alventuradelacruz522 2 жыл бұрын

Never heard of congee

@sunite569 2 жыл бұрын

അള്ളാ നമ്മട കഞ്ഞി

@0arjun077 2 жыл бұрын

Haha

@jeremiahforever3557 2 жыл бұрын

bruh reupload from munchies

@alexanderwagner2851 2 ай бұрын

Noooo! Rice is not easier to grow than nuts and fruits! Basically by definition - growing rice requires a stable social structure of people working together. Nuts and fruits you can grow alone - without help. (talking about real civilization, food growing levels.)

@girliedog 2 жыл бұрын

Chinese matza ball soup.

@bkbj8282 2 жыл бұрын

The literal least amount of information possible for how grains work. What an expert you've found.

@eat-myshorts 2 жыл бұрын

lugaw

@cloroxbleach3936 2 жыл бұрын

@queenmonkeyhead 2 жыл бұрын

Why 10 minutes long ? Just add rice , water , soy sauce , sliced ginger and diced green onion.. basic porridge . If you want add more topping find some leftover and all done .