TNT: Recipe for Chicken Jook - Chinese Comfort Food

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" Martin Yan's Chinatown Cooking " by Martin Yan

 

Chicken Jook: also called Congee or Zhou...

 

3 1/2 quarts water, plus more if needed

2 teaspoons salt

One 3- to 4-pound frying chicken

 

1 cup uncooked long-grain rice

 

3 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons ginger, cut into very thin strips

 

1. Bring the water and salt to a boil in a large stockpot. Place

the chicken breast side down in the pot. Return the water to a

boil, then adjust the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook

until the meat near the thigh bone is no longer pink, 45 minutes to

1 hour. Test for doneness with the point of a small knife.

 

2. Lift the chicken from the broth by inserting a sturdy wooden or

metal spoon into its cavity and supporting the chicken from

underneath with a wire skimmer of large spatula. Hold the chicken

over the pot for a few seconds, tilting the chicken away from you to

drain out the hot broth. Set the chicken aside on a plate to cool.

 

3. Meanwhile, skim any excess fat from the broth. Reheat the broth

to a boil, stir the rice into the broth, and adjust the heat to a

simmer. Cover the pot and cook until the rice is soft and creamy,

1 1/2 to 2 hours; stir occasionally to keep the rice from sticking

to the bottom of the pot. If the jook becomes too thick before the

rice is creamy and soft, add up to 2 cups more boiling water. The

finished jook should have an oatmeal-like consistency.

 

4. While the rice is cooking, remove and discard the chicken skin.

Strip the chicken meat from the bones and shred the meat, placing it

in a bowl.

 

5. To serve, ladle the jook into individual soup bowls. Offer the

shredded chicken, green onions, cilantro, and ginger in separate

bowls as toppings.