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A good bowl of congee is personal—it reflects individual and regional preferences. In Sichuan, as the name xi fan (diluted cooked rice) suggests, the porridge is thinner, and you can often still see whole kernels of rice. In Cantonese regions, the consistency is thicker, more like a velvety soup. At its core, white congee requires only water and rice. Personally, I prefer a thicker congee where the rice and water blend seamlessly, or as Qing dynasty author Yuan Mei once described: “Only when rice and water blend beautifully—soft and smooth—can it be called zhou. If you only see water or rice, it does not qualify as congee.”
Read on: Congee: A Deep-Rooted Love
In my Sichuan family, we mostly eat white congee, occasionally with add-ins like peanuts, mung beans, corn grits, or sweet potato. Sometimes we mix in pickled mustard greens or tofu pudding.
I’m also a huge fan of Cantonese-style congee, which includes meat, seafood, or vegetables. The thinly sliced meat is added when the congee is simmering hot, a method known as shenggun (生滚). This recipe is my shortcut version of Cantonese chicken and shiitake congee (香菇鸡粥 or 生滚鸡粥), made with store-bought rotisserie chicken. It’s a one-pot meal, hearty and satisfying. You can also make it with raw chicken (instructions below).
Read on: Congee: A Deep-Rooted Love
