dining halls closed -- I thought I knew how to cook porridge/congee, but I didn't.

Parent Cafe
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<p>Ooooh. I have been in front of the stove and so I have not been reading. </p>

<p>The quick and not so technical advice is for you to dump the whole turkey wings into water, bring to a boil, simmer. I would not worry about the turkey skin. Once the turkey wings are cooked, it will be much easier getting both the skin off the meat and the meat off the bones.</p>

<p>The lowest temperature on the stove is quite low. It allows you to simmer (below boiling point) food.
As for the rice, you have two choices: while the turkey broth is simmering, you can cook some rice (I believe it’s one cup of rice to 1-1/2 water); then you can add the cooked rice to the turkey broth and cook some more.
You can also try to add the uncooked rice to the turkey broth. It will take longer to cook.</p>

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<p>What have you done so far? Are you uisng one of the recipes or suggestions on this thread? Which one? What’s in the pot so far? If you let it settle for quite awhile, you may still be able to skim the not so appetizing stuff; generally it’s protein and fat that floats.</p>

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<p>How did the congee came out ? It takes about 2-3 hours of simmering to get the congee to the right texture. Do you want the Cantonese style congee or the Teo chiu style congee ? It’s probably too late now, but I personally can’t stand turkey porridge unless there is a ton of ginger and cilantro in it.</p>

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<p>Okay. I finished shopping at like 4 am! </p>

<p>I basically mixed a few of the suggestions. I had fresh turnip, diced celery and onions, but they were selling carrots by the bunch so I didn’t buy them. I also had some vegetable and beef bouillon – I put one of each in (into what I think is at least two gallons of water if not significantly more). Added this spice mix that included tumeric, garlic, MSG and other things. (Yes MSG. I think the health risks are minimal, and I love unami taste.) Added half cup of wheat flour. Rinsed about 2 and a half cups of long-grain rice until the water “ran clean” (I didn’t know about that! Probably my mother did but I forgot her advice). I mixed the rice with cooking oil and then dumped it in the soup. Added about two dozen small peppercorns. (I couldn’t control it … really. And I remember my parents putting way more when I was younger.) </p>

<p>I washed the turkey wings (and some leftover bones that I kept from previous cuttings) and tossed them in. There may be a few steps that I took I’ve forgotten. I reduced the heat to low and then I then slept from 6:50 am to 2:30 pm. :smiley: </p>

<p>Results:</p>

<p>The rice hasn’t fully broken down(!). It’s halfway between Western rice gruel and congee. It’s not even the Cantonese or the Teochew style (I prefer Cantonese, really). Fragments of the rice grains are still quite visible. Also I think the amount of oil I used to try that whole coating the rice thing has formed a considerable layer on top of my concoction. I mean I’m not really concerned about weight (I’ve lost 11 pounds since I entered college – yay for working out!) but I suppose that thick yellowish layer at the top is all the excess oil, right?</p>

<p>I also forgot to add ginger (in powder form), spring onions and shi-take mushrooms. I’ve turned off the heat at this point – but I assume that I just let it simmer for an hour (well, spring onions I’ll add last) to try to introduce them at this point?</p>

<p>I haven’t added sugar or soy sauce – but probably the bouillon also has plenty of salt. In fact there must be quite a few things I didn’t think of adding but I’ve tried it and it does taste good! </p>

<p>Also what is this about cream of wheat, rice, etc.? Is that a substitute for rice, or something to complement the rice, or something that one would use to accelerate congee formation…?</p>

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<p>Ahh yes, ginger and cilantro … eek. I forgot about parsley and them allied herbs. Too late at this point? I won’t mind simmering another hour.</p>

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<p>Eat what you got and see how you like it.
Next batch do something different.
Add the parsley and other green things last and cook lightly. Overcooking will discolor the vegies. </p>

<p>This is not rocket science. Pay attention to Mom’s cooking next time you go home. Something that our DS does not do, and his mother is a master cook. His grandmother is a master chef. IMO. </p>

<p>Learn before its too late and before you have to suffer your spouse’s concoctions.</p>

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<p>ginger should be cooked for a while else the flavor won’t come out. Cilantro should be added when the congee is almost ready to eat. Cooking cilantro for a length of time just kills the flavor. I think parsley can be cooked for a bit. </p>

<p>I had never added oil to rice or porridge, what is that supposed to do ?</p>

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<p>But it’s food chemistry! </p>

<p>(I can’t help but think of all the organic reactions and protein denaturation processes that are occurring while I’m cooking.) </p>

<p>The thing is my mother hasn’t cooked for years – well she does break out the pot occasionally – but she’s a single working mother so she’s usually too tired when she comes home to cook. But yes, she comes from a line of chefs. </p>

<p>(Which is also why I wasn’t very enthusiastic to go back home for Thanksgiving – I mean, I didn’t have that homecooked food incentive.)</p>

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<p>I was trying out one of the recipes posted to coat the rice with oil …</p>

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<p>Sounds like a really good first try to me! Good job. Keep us posted…the oil thing was mentioned a few times in things I read…one said something about “smooth”, another about “rich”, another said to keep rice from sticking together but I guess that doesn’t make sense.</p>

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<p>My husband is the cook in the family. He said he never heard of cooking rice with oil either ? </p>

<p>The only time I remember any kind of oil on rice will be Hainanese Chicken rice, when we use chicken fat/oil to flavor the rice , but I thought that was added after the rice was cooked. Oil and water don’t mix, when you add the oil before the rice it cooked all it does if float to the top like what you saw, esp. when you are making congee.</p>

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<p>Would adding cooking wine help make it stick?</p>

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<p>what do you think I got my useless degree in? </p>

<p>Leave out the oil. Fat from the meats is sufficient.</p>

<p>I don’t know what the wine will do except to make it bitter. Stickiness is related to the starch in different rices. Generally use a shorter grain rice, don’t wash to clear water since this will wash off the added vitamins and surface starch. Washing rice is a custom of underdeveloped countries where vermin contaminates the grain.</p>

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<p>What is supposed to stick ? The rice ? For cooked rice, the starch in the rice make it stick together, nothing is needed. Parboiled (processed rice ) is another animal, but if you use unprocessed rice, it should stick together naturally.</p>

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<p>I think you add a bit of oil to make basmati rice so they don’t all stick toghether.</p>

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<p>There is a simple recipe here, just rice and water. If you cook a little bit longer with lower gas it will break down to the point you don’t recognize what it was and that sounds like congee. Add more water if it looks like it needs water, otherwise you’ll burn the bottom.</p>

<p>[Rice</a> Congee Soup (Jook) Recipe - Rice/Grains - MyRecipes.com](<a href=“http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1097027]Rice”>http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1097027)</p>

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<p>She still knows more than you do. Ask her for advice. Tell her that you are starving and need her help. Humble yourself before your mother. She deserves it.</p>

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<p>By “sticking” I meant an encouragement for the oil to remain coated on the rice particles though now that I think about it it seems quite a silly suggestion – but what about egg yolks?</p>

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<p>Does anyone use cooking wine for the taste? I’ve been thinking it’s more of a tool to be used in its interaction with other ingredients. A green-thumbed former chem teacher was once advising me (on his blog) how to best extract the volatile oils from my fresh herbs through a series of steps (I think the alcohol in conjunction with something else was supposed to help break up the cell components or something … I didn’t really get the theory.)</p>

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<p>Hehe I’ve called her already in regards to food advice (how to prepare meat), although I haven’t asked about congee yet.</p>

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<p>I’m having trouble filtering out the oil – I can’t seem to strain it without taking the rice with it. Should I just go ahead and eat it even with that layer of oil at the top? :D</p>

<p>Also: I assume dry ****ake mushrooms keep indefinitely? I guess I don’t want to use them this time (at this point). Maybe next time.</p>

<p>Also, the guy saying that he coated his rice with oil used a combination of jasmine and glutinous rice – was it perhaps that the oil was supposed to attach to the sticky ends of the glutinous rice?</p>

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<p>Awcomon you guys…you use oil on rice for risotto too! I think we might be further confusing you, I think skimming is ok, but I wouldn’t worry about straining anything. I’m thinking the recipes for congee reflect more than what a lot of us “yanks” know…( yanks is what my Jamaican in-laws call people from the “yard”)</p>

<p>Here is the chowhound forum discussion of the oil</p>

<p>"One question, why do you need to cover the rice with oil before adding it to the water/stock? Does this help it to flower, or is it for some other reason?</p>

<p>Liz</p>

<p>Permalink | Reply
Liz Dec 02, 2005 01:26AM </p>

<p>re: Liz It helps prevent the rice from sticking to the pot. The coated surface will help it from sticking. Also I have been told it helps the rice to “flower”. </p>

<p>If do not coat the rice you will have to be stirring a lot. With the oil less stirring or not at all if you believe me.</p>

<p>Permalink | Reply
yimster Dec 02, 2005 12:57PM </p>

<p>re: Liz My Mom (a big jook maker) told me that the oil helps to make the final product “creamier”. Not sure if that’s true, Yimster is probably right (when it comes to jook, he always is!)</p>

<p>Permalink | Reply
chococat Dec 02, 2005 05:59PM </p>

<p>re: chococat Please, when my son reads this later he going to be sick. He sure I am full of it and my sons will be first to tell I do not know that much about anything. </p>

<p>But I think that the oil does both things, pervents sticking and make it “creamier” (but longer cooking time will yeild the same result). If you want the oil to work do not stir the pot at all. Once you start you will have keep on stirring and the rice will stick. </p>

<p>Learn this trick from my Dad and he had jook everyday of his later life. He really knew how to cook jook. I pale when compared to him."</p>