Century Egg Congee (Jook)

I swear I'm a good wife! I am! :P

OK, I don't mean to boast but I walked all the way from my office down to Chinatown and that's all the way from one end of the city to the other end, just so that I could get some yau char gwai (Chinese donut - sticks of dough fried in hot oil - it has a slight salty taste and served predominantly with congee) for my hubby. See, he likes his yau char gwai with his congee and being a good lo pau (wife) that I am, I went all the way down there just so that I could get 2 sticks of it ($2.20 per stick for dough!). Things I do for him!!!

Do you like my new Marie Claire bowl??

I love century egg congee with minced beef. This is my favourite congee and something my hubby and I would always order at Superbowl Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown. For me, congee (or "jook" as us Cantonese speakers call it) is my ultimate comfort food.

So what is the meaning of "Comfort Food" anyway? How I see it, comfort food should be your ultimate pick-me-up. It signifies something that's home-made and should conjure up a warm and fuzzy feeling inside you when you eat it. It is something you'd like to eat when you're feeling down and out. It should be something that you have grown accustomed to and have liked since you were a child. It should be a type of food that will trigger a pleasant feeling inside you, should be easy to prepare and uncomplicated.

For Asians, jook is a type of food that can be consumed at any time of the day. Some people see it as a breakfast staple - I know some people in HK who can't go without having congee with chow mein, yau char gwai, and a glass of soya bean milk in the mornings. Congee may also be eaten at lunch, dinner or supper. In Asia, it is commonly fed to young infants. I know people who will eat just congee when they are on diets (coz it's low in carbs) and almost all Asians consider congee as some sort of therapeutic treatment since they will always think of eating congee when they are feeling unwell. So, what is YOUR ultimate "Comfort Food"?

Eve from GardenofEating is hosting a 2008 Comfort Food Cook-off and this is my comfort food entry. This is actually my first time in any sort of a cook-off. I may not win the Macaroni & Cheese cookbook but it sure was fun just being able to participate and share this recipe with all you bloggers/readers out there.

This century egg congee with mince beef is my favourite. I served my congee with steamed gai lan, yau char gway and a cup of soya bean milk. Ahhhh, dinner was so satisfying tonight :)

Century Egg Congee (with minced beef)
(can get 3-4 servings out of this)

1 cup uncooked long grain rice
4 cups of water, add more where required
2 century old eggs, chopped into small pieces
250g minced beef
sesame oil
ginger
spring onions
salt
white pepper

- Put the rice and water in the rice cooker*
- In the meantime, cook the minced beef lightly with sesame oil and salt to taste; transfer to a plate
- When the water is starting to boil in the rice cooker, add in the beef and century old eggs
- The rice should be cooked to a point where the rice has broken down and it becomes fluffy; keep an eye on the porridge and add more hot water into the rice cooker if needed
- Add ginger and spring onions to the congee when it's ready
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Serve with additional spring onions and ginger if you prefer

* if you don't have a rice cooker, just use a normal pot - just make sure you keep your eye on the pot to ensure there's enough water in the pot and that the congee doesn't spill over

You may want to chop up the yau char gwai into bite sizes and put these in your congee, but I prefer to dip mine whilst eating so it is still slightly crunchy when I bite into it.

Enjoy!