How to Cook Porridge/Congee (Stove-top Method)

Plain Porridge with simple condiments (ikan bilis powder and fried shallots in shallot oil)

Cooking porridge is one of the easiest things ever. Even easier than cooking rice to me, because there is hardly any risk of using the wrong amount of water – you can easily add more water during cooking if the water dries out, or you if add too much water, the cooked porridge will soak it up after some time (or you can also ladle away a top layer of water). So forgive me for posting such a simple tutorial. But easy as this may be, I was completely clueless when I wanted to cook porridge for the first time. So this little step-by-step pictorial tutorial is for those who have not cooked porridge before :)

Ingredients
- long grain rice
- water

Step 1: Wash rice grains, use your hand to give the water a few swirls and then discard water. You may want to repeat this more than once – some people like to rinse till the water is till completely clear, while others like to rinse till the water is still a bit opaque. Note that the amount of rice used for cooking porridge will be slightly less than the amount for cooking rice, at least for me. For example, I usually cook 1 cup of rice for 2-3 persons, but when I’m cooking porridge, I cook 3/4 cup of rice instead.

Step 2: Fill pot with water. As you can see from the photo above, I fill the pot till about half full. It is not really necessary to measure the water because it is very forgiving – if you add too much water now, you can use a ladle to scoop the top layer of water away, though the porridge will soak up excess water if you leave it for a while. Anytime the water runs dry (you will hear ‘popping’ sounds, just add hot water to keep the porridge watery and simmering.

For those who really need some measurements, for the pot above, I use about 1 and 1/2 cup of rice and I filled the pot with about 2 litres of water.

If you want to be fancy, at this step you can also add ingredients for naturally sweetening the porridge. Ingredients such as soaked dried scallops, soaked soy beans, ikan bilis, red dates etc. I did not add anything extra here because I am making plain porridge.

Step 3: Bring the pot to a boil.

Step 4: Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer. Leave the lid partially opened. This step is VERY important. Otherwise, the water will bubble out of the lid and create a terrible mess and also pose a potential hazard.

Step 5: Now and then (about every 10 minutes or so), use a soup ladle to gently scrap the bottom of the pan to loosen and dislodge the rice grains that stick to the bottom.

Step 6: Cook the porridge according to the consistency you like. If you still want to see the rice grain (photo above), it usually takes about 20 minutes.

Step 7: Another 10 minutes and the grains separates. This is the consistency I like. You can simmer even longer for a more watery, finer and more congee-like consistency.

Tip: If you leave the pot of porridge for some time, you will realise that the rice grains will soak up all the water. Just add hot water, mix well with a ladle and if you like, bring to a simmer again before serving.

Look out for my upcoming ikan bilis powder and fried shallots recipes, which are excellent condiments to go with porridge.

Love porridge? Check out my porridge recipes.

Ingredients Used Rice