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How to Make a Delicious Thai Congee for Breakfast

Asian Soups

Thai congee (Jok)

Thai congee, known as Jok (pronounced joke) in Thailand, is a rice porridge breakfast dish that is commonly served with pork meatballs and a variety of Thai condiments and topping such as fried onions and garlic, chiles, fish sauce, sliced ginger, green onions, and cilantro.

I absolutely fell in love with Jok when I was in Thailand and I’ve included it, along with 39 other recipes, in my cookbook, The Thai Soup Secret. Jok is an iconic part of Thai street food culture. Here’s a short video of me eating it right on the streets of Bangkok!

Eating Jok in Bangkok

The Pork Meatballs Are Optional

Now in this recipe, you can substitute two poached eggs for the pork meatballs because let’s face it, if you’ve grown up on Cheerios and Pop-Tarts, a breakfast of rice porridge with meatballs may not sound exactly, well, normal.

But, if you’re one of the thousands waking up to the fact that American breakfast cereals aren’t exactly healthy foods, and if you’re looking for an absolutely killer, nourishing, delicious, hearty alternative, this Thai congee recipe isn’t nearly as strange as it may seem on the surface.

And it’s not even spicy. In fact, there are no chiles in it at all.

Thai Soup Secret cover

Transform Your Health with Thailand’s #1 Superfood!

Includes 40 restorative recipes for broths, congees, and soups. All gluten and dairy-free!

A Quick Primer on Congee

For those of you that may be unfamiliar with congee, it is basically the oatmeal of Asia. But it differs in two big ways. First, congee is made with rice instead of oats. The rice is cooked for an extended period in water or broth until it breaks down and forms a porridge-like consistency.

And second, unlike oatmeal, which in America is usually sweetened to death, congees are usually savory.

And if you make the rice ahead of time (highly recommended), this Thai congee will come together in the same amount of time it will take you to make a bowl of boring ol’ oatmeal.

Two Thai Congee Tips

Because it takes about 60 to 90 minutes to cook the rice into a porridge-like consistency, you’re obviously not going to cook this from scratch every time you have it, especially if you have that annoying thing you have to get to every morning called a “job.”

Here’s what I do. At the beginning of the week, I’ll make a big portion of congee that will last me all week. It’ll get pretty thick and congealed in the fridge but no big deal. Every morning, I’ll scoop out a cup or two, add some broth to get the consistency I want, warm it up on the stove, and then add everything else. It all comes together in ten minutes tops.

Second tip. When making the rice, make sure to frequently stir it!  It can easily stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. I’ve done this on so many occasions that a lot of my cookware bares some form of blackened rice scars.

How to Make Thai Congee (Jok)

Thai Congee Recipe

Thai congee is a rice porridge breakfast dish, often served with pork meatballs and a variety of Thai condiments and topping such as fried onions, garlic, chiles, fish sauce, sliced ginger, green onions, and cilantro.

Course Breakfast, Soup
Cuisine Thai
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Author Craig Fear

Ingredients

For the congee:

For the pork meatballs:

  • 1/4 pound ground pork
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1-2 tsp fish sauce or soy sauce

Seasonings, to taste

  • Ginger, sliced into matchsticks
  • Scallions, chopped
  • Fried garlic and/or shallots
  • Fish sauce and/or soy sauce
  • Black or white pepper

Instructions

  1. Rinse 1 cup of white rice in water a few times.
  2. Add 2 quarts of water or broth and bring to a boil.  Turn heat down and simmer gently for 60 – 90 minutes until rice breaks down and forms a porridge-like consistency.  Stir frequently to avoid burning and add more water if needed.
  3. While rice is cooking, in a medium bowl, mix the ground pork with the garlic and fish sauce. Form the mixture into bite-sized meatballs.
  4. Transfer one serving of the rice (about 1 cup) to a separate pot.  Add a little more water or broth if needed (I usually add chicken or pork broth) and return to a simmer. Add the pork meatballs and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until fully cooked.
  5. Add 1-2 eggs and poach for a few minutes, or until the egg white form and the yolks remain runny.
  6. Remove the congee from the heat (the eggs will continue to cook in the hot broth).

More Thai Soup Recipes to Try

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How to Make a Delicious Thai Congee for Breakfast
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About the Author

Craig Fear is the creator of Fearless Eating and the author of three books, The 30-Day Heartburn Solution, Fearless Broths and Soups and The Thai Soup Secret. After years helping clients with digestive issues, Craig decided to pursue writing full-time. He intends to write many more books on broths and soups from around the world! Click here to learn more about Craig.

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