The rice is boiled in many times its weight of water, for a long time until the rice breaks down, and becomes a fairly viscous white porridge. It is always eaten savoury (with lettuce, bamboo shoots, meat and other condiments) or plain. It is sometimes eaten with meat and/or fermented egg added near the start of making the congee. Sometimes when the congee is ready, savoury items like minced beef, soy sauce/seasoning, and fish are scalded with the boiling congee which cooks the meat. Alternatively, the fish can be grilled to provide a texture different from the more watery congee. Occasionally a sweet version is prepared by mixed rice congee with red beans and sugar for certain traditional festivals.
Congee is considered a part of traditional Chinese medicinefood therapy. Ingredients can be determined by their therapeutic value as well as flavor. Congee is often accompanied by fried bread sticks known as you tiao. Congee can be left with the excess water or can be drained so that the congee has a texture that is like the western type of Porridge.
While Chinese and Korean congee is often made with broth, Japanese congee is usually made with water and has no taste. Nanakusa-gayu (七草粥, "Seven grasses congee") is traditionally eaten on January 7th, as a way of resting the stomach after the festivities of New Year.
To make congee, rice is boiled in lots of water or broth until the grains have grown many times their size and are still swimming in excess fluid.
In the recipe, the separately cooked rice is boiled with sufficient water to break down the starch in the grains, so that when added to the hot broth, the flavor of the rice melts into it, the soft-textured grains blending in with the soup.
But because congee digests easily, containing only a very small amount of rice compared to a serving of regularly cooked rice, serve yourself a large bowl, or go for seconds and thirds.
It is eaten traditionally in Asia as a strengthening, comforting food especially for children and the elderly, the ill and convalescent.
Generally if you see congee at Chinese restaurants, it'll have pork, chicken or fish in it and be served with condiments.
My mom used to start her special congee by sauteing sliced fresh sea abalone in sesame oil, adding sweet short-grain rice to the saute for 2 mins or so, then pouring water and letting it simmer.
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