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Basic White Congee (白粥, baizhou)

Xueci Cheng

BY Xueci Cheng

PUBLISHED January 21, 2025

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

 

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Basic White Congee (白粥, baizhou)

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Makes 1 serving 1x

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup (55 g) short- or medium-grain white rice
  • 4 cups (950 ml) water (use 5 cups for a runnier consistency)
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Wash the rice 2-3 times. Soak it in a bowl of water with salt and vegetable oil for at least 30 minutes, then drain completely.
  2. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a pot. Add the soaked rice, and bring to a boil again. Lower the heat, cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar, and let it simmer over medium heat for at least 40 minutes. Then check the consistency; normally it takes 1 hour for raw rice, 40 minutes for frozen and soaked rice, and 15 minutes for cooked rice.
  3. Stir occasionally to keep the rice from sticking, and simmer until the congee reaches your desired creamy consistency.
  4. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Add your favorite toppings!

– Recipe by Xueci Cheng

Recipe variations

Topping ideas: Fermented tofu, pickles of all kinds, kimchi, chili crisp, boiled or fried eggs, Chinese pork floss, century egg.

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