Rice cooker congee is perfect for breakfast, or served as a hot and steaming bowl of comfort for a sick loved one. The flavor is light and balanced, and will have them feeling better in no time. Learn how to make an easy and comforting congee (rice porridge) in your rice cooker with just 6 simple ingredients. This is a hands off recipe – set it to cook, walk away and come back to a warm and satisfying meal!
There are so many easy and delicious recipes you can make with the rice cooker. My favorites so far are my rice cooker garlic rice, rice cooker rice pilaf, rice cooker rice pudding and now this rice cooker congee!
Congee, or rice porridge, is a humble dish made with rice and water. The rice is simmered in a large amount of water until it absorbs as much as it can, then softens up and expands. As the rice grains break down and the water thickens, they combine together to create a porridge.
In different parts of Asia, congee is served with different ingredients and toppings, like dried and shredded pork, pickled vegetables, fried shallots, dried shrimp, and much more.
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Ingredients
White Rice – Short or long grain rice may be used. I typically make my porridge with Jasmine rice as I grew up eating it that way.
Broth – When I make congee on the stovetop, I usually make it with a whole chicken or chicken parts with bones. For the rice cooker (short cut version), I use chicken broth to add extra flavor.
Aromatics – Garlic and ginger are must-have flavor boosters. I love incorporating them for their health benefits when my kids are sick, plus it makes the porridge smell so delicious and inviting!
Chicken – Add for a bit of protein and added flavor.
Kosher salt – Enhances the flavors.
Equipment
Rice cooker – I am using the Cuckoo, which holds up to 6 cups of uncooked rice. There is a porridge setting, you can easily set it to cook and walk away.
Don’t worry, you do not need a rice cooker with a porridge setting to make this recipe (read below pro tips).
Instructions
1). Wash the rice three times with water to clean it. Drain well with a strainer.
2). Add the rice to the pot along with the chicken, garlic, ginger and salt.
3). Add the chicken broth and water and stir all the ingredients together. Set it to cook on the porridge setting.
If you do not have a porridge setting, set it to cook, leaving the lid uncovered and cook for about 45-50 mins.
4). After about 45 minutes, the rice is cooked through where it’s soft and thickened. The consistency is a medium thickness with not too much or too little broth.
Serve garnished with green onions and cracked pepper. Other topping ideas for a Vietnamese-style congee include cilantro, fried shallots, some Chinese donut (my favorite!), and if you like some spice, try adding Sambal Oelek chili sauce with a squeeze of lime!
Pro Tips
- If you try to cook the congee with the lid closed with no porridge setting on the rice cooker, you’ll risk the porridge boiling over and spilling out of your pot. The reason this happens is that the liquid is boiling at a high heat and the rice cooker sustains that temperature as it tries to evaporate all the water. Cooking with the lid uncovered will allow the congee to cook at a lower temperature, with the liquid simmering it until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Cooking the congee on the porridge setting (versus cooking it with the lid uncovered), cooks at about the same amount of time.
- For this recipe, the rice to water ratio is about 1 to 20 (¼ cup rice to 5 cups water). Cooking it for about 50 minutes gets the porridge to a medium-thick consistency, which I prefer.
- If you prefer thicker congee (more rice with less liquid) add more rice, or less water. Or you can leave the congee to cook overnight. Keep in mind, the longer the rice sits in the broth, the more liquid it will absorb.
Frequently Asked Questions
Add more rice, or use less water. Or let the rice cook for longer period of time.
With the rice cooker, about 45 to 50 minutes.
You can store leftover congee up to 3 days in the fridge, and reheat it in the microwave or stovetop. If it’s too thick, add a bit more water.
You can use precooked rice instead of uncooked rice: just add about ½ cup cooked rice to 5 cups of water and let it cook until the rice softens and expands.
More rice cooker recipes
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Rice Cooker Congee (Rice Porridge)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup rice (short or long grain) use US measuring cup (liquid or dry)
- 14 ounce (1) can chicken broth
- 3 cups water
- ½ cup chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 1 tablespoon size piece of ginger, peeled
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Garnish and add ons
- cracked pepper
- sliced green onions
- fried shallots
- squeeze of lime
- Chinese donut
- chil sauce I like Sambal Oelek brand
Instructions
- Rinse rice in a mesh strainer. Make sure to shake out excess water well.
- Add the rice to the pot, along with the chicken broth, water, chicken, garlic, ginger and kosher salt. Stir the ingredients together.
- Press cook on the porridge setting. If you do not have a porridge setting, set it to cook, leaving the lid uncovered and cook for about 45-50 mins.
- Serve garnished with green onions and cracked pepper or other toppings and sides of choice.
Notes
- Cooking time may vary, depending on your rice cooker.
- If you try to cook the congee with the lid closed with no porridge setting on the rice cooker, you’ll risk the porridge boiling over and spilling out of your cooker.
- For this recipe, the rice to water ratio is about 1:20 (¼ cup rice to 5 cups water). Cooking it for about 50 minutes gets the porridge to a medium-thick consistency.
- If you prefer thicker congee (more rice with less liquid) add more rice, or less water. Or you can leave the congee to cook overnight. Keep in mind, the longer the rice sits in the broth, the more liquid it will absorb.
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