I went to make 4 cups of Kokuho rice in my Zoji rice cooker. For some pinheaded mistaken reason, I put 6 cups of water to cook 4 cups of rice. It was loose and gummy. Can I make congee out of it? Other than that, what can I do to make great food out of it? I can’t believe I did that.
Yes, take the rice out and using the stovetop, just add more water and bring to a boil and then a gentle simmer until you reach the desired consistency.
Add chicken stock, soy sauce, fish sauce if you have it, some sliced ginger, and some green onions. Stir from time to time. Towards the end put some chicken or some pork in, to have them just cooked enough and you got yourself a delicious pot of congee. Garnish with more green onion and white pepper.
Four cups of rice is going to make a LOT of congee!
Just press the button again on the rice cooker to cook it. You just need to cook it further, so the water disappears. And hope your rice can withstand longer cooking. You can also cook ik further in a pan on your stovetop, so you’ll have more control.
I wonder if you could take out some of the soupy rice and freeze it for future congee-making…
Would that result in unbelievably mushy rice?
Depends on the type of rice I think. I mostly eat Thai jasmine rice and I believe this could work here.
Well, I’ve never tried it, so I’m not speaking from experience, but I think you’d end up with gruel. Where else would the water go but into the rice?
Rice pudding??
I love congee, so 4 cups for congee would be a challenge I’d willingly take.
Essentially like congee, but Japanese okayu is a bit higher rice to water ratio than Chinese congee. And most okayu I’ve had the rice is quite as broken down as some congee versions, so you might have a nice consistency for okayu already there. It pairs well with salted or briny foods, shredded pork floss, or if you like pickled vegetables and is great for breakfast too.
Over-cooked rice is a good thickener for soups. I use it with both chicken and lentil soups with some regularity. You could freeze it in small portions and apply it thusly.
Next time, try placing a slice of bread on top and closing the lid. The bread absorbs extra water.
Prayer uses for extra soft rice — Khichdi (indian lentils & rice, and patties or cakes using rice instead of the usual carb of potatoes or other root veg.
Khichdi often starts with raw rice and lentils, but you can also cook the lentils separately and add the cooked rice later.
I did that- a couple of times, I also pulled out a can of Spam that DH put in my Christmas stocking for some silly reason. I have marinated the Spam in Japanese BBQ Sauce and tomorrow I’m going to make Spam Musubi. The rice will be perfect for that. But I’ll never make that mistake again. Next is congee. I’ve been jonesing for it.
The rice to liquid is about 1:7 if I remember correctly.
That’s what I’m going to make next if the Spam Musubi sucks. I got some at a new Hawaiian restaurant nearby. I was surprised at how tasty it was.
You just reminded me of a lunch dish I made when I worked. I would cube SPAM, fry it then mix it with rice and sweet & sour sauce. I’d make up single servings and freeze for lunches. A quick few minutes in the microwave (at work) and I was content.
My co-workers couldn’t believe I liked SPAM, but I really enjoyed it.
I’ve seen recipes where you blitz/blend cooked rice and water/stock, then return it to the stove to simmer for a silky congee made from already prepared rice. Have only used my immersion blender but it worked pretty well.