Pictorial: Congee (Jook) with Salted Pork

[trillium]

Boars have a much stronger "so" smell then sows and not all countries neuter the male hogs to avoid the "boar taint". Women are supposed to be more sensitive to the smell then men, fyi. The diet effects the flavor too. The pig we butchered this year had a very different diet then the one we had the year before that, and you can really notice the difference in the flavor and smell of the meat.

As for chickens, I would rather have them once in a while as a luxury item then eat the bland stuff from the store. They cost a lot more to raise truly free-range, but they're much, much tastier.

regards,

trillium

[hzrt8w]

[...]

Oh... dried conpoys aren't that cheap an item you know... USD$20/lb for ordinary quality is quite extravagant.

[...]

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I would love to know where one can find dried conpoys for USD$20/lb (within the USA I assumed, or else all bets are off). I have searched through San Francisco China Town and the best I could find was something like USD$34/lb. In Sacramento they are selling at about $40+/lb.

I have tried adding dried abalone in congee. I could not seem to notice *any* difference. I don't think it's worth the money to put in dried abalone.

If you add century egg early on to make congee, the century egg will dissolved into the liquid and make your congee slightly darker. I could not taste the flavor, nor the texture. I prefer to add wedged centry eggs at serving time. And most dim sum places do the same.

Edited March 9, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[His Nibs]

Really? I find it makes a whole lot difference (adding the century egg together with the raw rice). Creates a very nice background flavor. You can also add more century egg before serving.

Hmm... that USD 20/lb conpoy is converted from HKD sorry

I ferry dried goods back to the states whenever I leave the states to go back to asia.

My personal best is bringing back 1 big packet of real 新会果皮 during a visit to the PRC. Makesmy 红豆沙 so much better.

[muichoi]

This is my personal recipe for Jook - I am most partial to it.

cheers, JH

The Hirshon Imperial Jook

1 cup rice

8 cups water or unsalted stock (I prefer using all stock)

1 cup or so Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine - dry sherry may be substituted)

3 tablespoons Chinese Abalone sauce (preferred) or 2 tablespoons soy sauce

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JH, this is brilliant. I used a very good abalone-scallop sauce. Highly recommended to the sceptical.

[Dejah]

This is my personal recipe for Jook - I am most partial to it.

cheers, JH

The Hirshon Imperial Jook

1 cup rice

8 cups water or unsalted stock (I prefer using all stock)

1 cup or so Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine - dry sherry may be substituted)

3 tablespoons Chinese Abalone sauce (preferred) or 2 tablespoons soy sauce

←

JH, this is brilliant. I used a very good abalone-scallop sauce. Highly recommended to the sceptical.

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Muichoi,

Did you use the 1 cup or so of wine? I am just curious if anyone used the wine for the first time and what their comments are.

[jhirshon]

This is my personal recipe for Jook - I am most partial to it.

cheers, JH

The Hirshon Imperial Jook

1 cup rice

8 cups water or unsalted stock (I prefer using all stock)

1 cup or so Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine - dry sherry may be substituted)

3 tablespoons Chinese Abalone sauce (preferred) or 2 tablespoons soy sauce

←

JH, this is brilliant. I used a very good abalone-scallop sauce. Highly recommended to the sceptical.

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Thanks, muichoi - it's good to see a gweilo can still teach an ancient food culture a new trick or two.

cheers, JH

[muichoi]

This is my personal recipe for Jook - I am most partial to it.

cheers, JH

The Hirshon Imperial Jook

1 cup rice

8 cups water or unsalted stock (I prefer using all stock)

1 cup or so Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine - dry sherry may be substituted)

3 tablespoons Chinese Abalone sauce (preferred) or 2 tablespoons soy sauce

←

JH, this is brilliant. I used a very good abalone-scallop sauce. Highly recommended to the sceptical.

←

Muichoi,

Did you use the 1 cup or so of wine? I am just curious if anyone used the wine for the first time and what their comments are.

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It was slighly less, I think-but try it, the results are quite surprising.

[Ben Hong]

Wow, I am amazed at how the humble jook has really been jazzed up.

However, being the old fuddy-duddy that I am, I make jook for the simplicity of taste that I normally associate with a good bowl. Plain jook with a few bits of scallions, a drop or two of soy sauce, white pepper, and maybe a bit of fish or meat. The reason I eat jook is to break the run of a series of rich foods, and to get back to square one (basics).

[Dejah]

Wow, I am amazed at how  the humble jook has really been jazzed up.

However, being the old fuddy-duddy that I am, I make jook for the simplicity of taste that I normally associate with a good bowl. Plain jook with a few bits of scallions, a drop or two of soy sauce, white pepper, and maybe a bit of fish or meat. The reason I eat jook is to break the run of a series of rich foods, and to get back to square one (basics).

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Must be showing our age, Ben Sook. I'm with you on the "basic jook".

I made jook on Monday as I bought some cooked pig stomach at the Chinese BBQ shop in Winnipeg on Sunday. It was soooo good and tender. Worked beautifully thinly sliced and laid on top of the jook. One piece per spoonful along with some scallion and cilantro.

[His Nibs]

I make jook whenever I'm down with something. Makes it easier to swallow

[wesza]

Wow, I am amazed at how  the humble jook has really been jazzed up.

However, being the old fuddy-duddy that I am, I make jook for the simplicity of taste that I normally associate with a good bowl. Plain jook with a few bits of scallions, a drop or two of soy sauce, white pepper, and maybe a bit of fish or meat. The reason I eat jook is to break the run of a series of rich foods, and to get back to square one (basics).

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Must be showing our age, Ben Sook. I'm with you on the "basic jook".

I made jook on Monday as I bought some cooked pig stomach at the Chinese BBQ shop in Winnipeg on Sunday. It was soooo good and tender. Worked beautifully thinly sliced and laid on top of the jook. One piece per spoonful along with some scallion and cilantro.

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What I have observed with my own Children, Grandchildren and others is:

There is nothing humble about "JOOK" to me being Jewish I admit that Jook is in many ways equal to certainly comparable to "Chicken Soup" almost a blasphemy but something I acquired thru the years.

The simplicity of enjoying it almost plain lies in it's beauty. My Children and Grandchildren still prefer eating it without anything added when they are not feeling 100% or until they grew up to about 10 years old was when they would start to consider Chicken, Shrimps or anything being added to their Jook.

When I bring Chinese Take out from Seattle to Tacoma they almost always request that I be sure to bring some plain "Jook".

It's like nursery foods something we always return to as true comfort food. Sure they enjoyed Oatmeal Porridge or Chicken Soup but Jook remains everyones favorite with or without additions. I feel this way about the Toysan/Cantonese Jook the other regional variations are good but just don't do the job for my family.

Irwin

[mudbug]

I am accustomed to one inch cubed pork butt/shoulder and prefer that over loin due to tenderness preference. I believe this came out too salty. Not inedible, but definitely too much throughout the jook/congee and I only soaked the pork in salt for 4 hours. Overnight would have been worse. It is really not possible to rinse away the salt since it melts and permeates the meat which is great... but I suggest doing it for an hour up to two hours, I will likely go an hour and fifteen minutes next time. When you come back to "rinse away the salt" what you have is liquid.

 

It definitely seasons the meat. Just do so sparingly. I will have to cook more jook so I can add the first salty jook to it, to taste.