Jook!

The cold weather and want of a diet has brought me to crave simple foods- so I found a cool recipe for a childhood favorite, Jook, that my grandma used to make for me for breakfast.  It’s easy and cheap, and it’s one of those recipes that makes the whole house smell good for hours.

I personally like these sprinkled with chinese cabbage and salted turnips- and then to give it a little extra dose of nutrients, I’ll probably try some milled flaxseed over the top this time, too. 

Yield 6 servings

Time At least 2 1/2 hours

Mark Bittman

 

Summary

I usually make jook in the afternoon, simmering it gently and stirring it occasionally, eating a little that night but saving most for the morning — despite its simplicity, it doesn’t keep well for much longer than that. You could also make it overnight in a slow cooker.

Ingredients

• 1 cup short-grain rice
• 2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade, or water
• 1 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/4 pound slab bacon, optional
• Soy sauce or salt to taste
• 1/4 cup crispy cooked bacon, minced, optional
• 1/4 cup minced scallions
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, optional
• Sesame oil for drizzling, optional

Method

• 1. Wash rice, and put it in a stock pot with chicken stock or water. Place over high heat until stock boils, then add about 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, and turn heat to low. Partly cover pot, simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding water as necessary (probably about 2 cups more).
• 2. Add ginger and slab bacon, and simmer for an hour more or so. Jook should have a porridgelike consistency. If it becomes very thick, add water. When done, jook will be soupy and creamy, like loose oatmeal.
• 3. Remove slab bacon, and serve jook in individual bowls. Season with salt or soy sauce, then garnish with minced bacon, scallions and peanuts. Drizzle with sesame oil if desired.

Variations

• For jook with vegetables, Step 1 remains the same. In Step 2, omit bacon. Soak 4 or 5 dried black (shiitake) mushrooms in hot water until softened, then remove stems, and chop. Add them to mix, along with ginger and 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced, and a large pinch of salt. When jook is almost done, stir in 1 cup fresh or frozen peas, and cook 10 minutes or so more. Proceed as above.
• Jook with meat: Step 1 remains the same. In Step 2, about 15 minutes before jook is done, add 1/2 pound sliced uncooked sirloin or 1/2 pound sliced uncooked chicken breast or 1/2 pound crumbled uncooked ground or sliced pork. Proceed as above.
• Jook with seafood and cilantro: Step 1 remains the same. In Step 2, during last 10 minutes of simmering, add 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined and roughly chopped, or 1/2 pound whitefish fillets, skinned and sliced (or use both shrimp and fish). Proceed as above, adding at least 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves for garnish.