Congee ( , derived from
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
),
is a form of savoury rice
porridge
Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...
made by boiling
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
in a large amount of water until the rice softens. Depending on rice–water ratio, the thickness of congee varies from a Western oatmeal porridge to a
gruel
Gruel is a food consisting of some type of cereal—such as ground oats, wheat, rye, or rice—heated or boiled in water or milk. It is a thinner version of porridge that may be more often drunk rather than eaten. Historically, gruel has been a ...
. Since the
history of rice cultivation in Asia stretches back to the
Baiyue
The Baiyue, Hundred Yue, or simply Yue, were various ethnic groups who inhabited the regions of southern China and northern Vietnam during the 1st millennium BC and 1st millennium AD. They were known for their short hair, body tattoos, fine swo ...
-inhabited lower
Yangtze
The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Eurasia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and flows including Dam Qu River the longest source of the Yangtze, i ...
circa 10,000 BC, congee is unlikely to have appeared before that date. Congee is typically served with side dishes, or it can be topped with meat, fish, and
pickled vegetables.
Vivid experiences of eating or delivering thin congee as wartime or
famine food
A famine food or poverty food is any inexpensive or ready available food used to nourish people in times of hunger and starvation, whether caused by extreme poverty, such as during economic depression or war, or by natural disasters such as dro ...
often feature in diaries and chronicles. In some cultures, congee is eaten primarily as a breakfast food or late supper; some may also eat it as a substitute for rice at other meals. It is often considered suitable for the sick as a mild, easily digestible food.
Etymology
The popular English name ''congee'' derives from the
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
word (''kañci''). The Portuguese adopted the name as ''canje'', with the first document mentioning the dish and the word in 1563. The English name was adopted from the
Portuguese. In China, congee is known as ''zhou'' ( zh, c=粥, p=zhōu, cy=jūk), with the first recorded reference traced back to 1000 BC during
Zhou dynasty
The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...
. Across Asia, various similar dishes exists with varying names.
Varieties
East Asia
Mainland China
By porridge ( or in Standard Chinese),
Chinese languages
The Sinitic languages (), often synonymous with the Chinese languages, are a group of East Asian analytic languages that constitute a major branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It is frequently proposed that there is a primary split b ...
across the south usually mean rice porridge, while in the north it may refer to
cornmeal porridge,
proso millet porridge,
foxtail millet porridge, or
sorghum porridge, reflecting the north–south divide of grain production.
In northwest Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, fermented rice and millet porridge known as 酸粥 (
Jin Chinese
Jin () is a group of Chinese linguistic varieties spoken by roughly 48 million people in northern China, including most of Shanxi province, much of central Inner Mongolia, and adjoining areas in Hebei, Henan, and Shaanxi provinces. The status ...
: ) is popular. Rice and millet are soaked to allow fermentation, then water is emptied to obtain porridge. The emptied water is served as a drink called 酸米湯 (
Jin Chinese: ). The porridge is eaten alongside
pickles
Pickle, pickled or Pickles may refer to:
Food
* Pickle, a food that has undergone pickling
* Pickled cucumber
* Pickle, a sweet, vinegary pickled chutney popular in Britain, such as Branston Pickle, also known as "sweet pickle" or "ploughman's ...
, e.g. turnips, carrots, radish and celery. The porridge may be stirred-fried and is called 炒酸粥 (). The porridge may also be steamed into solids known as 酸撈飯 (). While the traditional grain is
proso millet
''Panicum miliaceum'' is a grain crop with many common names, including proso millet, broomcorn millet, common millet, hog millet, Kashfi millet, red millet, and white millet. Archaeobotany, Archaeobotanical evidence suggests millet was first ...
, it is mixed with rice when available. Many folk idioms of sourness derive from this dish.
In Shanghai, Suzhou and nearby, an iconic glutinous rice porridge topped by red bean paste, sweet olive syrup and brown sugar is called
赤豆糊糖粥 (
Wu Chinese
, region = Shanghai, Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, parts of Anhui and Jiangxi provinces; overseas and migrant communities
, ethnicity = Wu
, speakers = million
, date = 2021
, ref = e27
, fa ...
: ).
Street hawking of this porridge is featured in a well-known
Wu Chinese
, region = Shanghai, Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, parts of Anhui and Jiangxi provinces; overseas and migrant communities
, ethnicity = Wu
, speakers = million
, date = 2021
, ref = e27
, fa ...
nursery rhyme.
Originated in
Guangdong
) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
,
century egg
Century eggs (), also known as alkalized or preserved eggs, are a Chinese dish made by preserving duck, chicken, or quail eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime, and rice hulls for several weeks to several months, depending on the pr ...
congee ( zh, c=皮蛋瘦肉粥, labels=no, out=, p=, cy=pèihdáan sauyuhk jūk in
Cantonese
Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...
) has become a nationwide hit since the 2000s. It was first tested on the menu of
KFC in Shanghai in 2002 and later rolled out to all KFCs in mainland China and Taiwan. In 2020, the online food ordering company
Ele.me revealed century egg porridge ranked top ten in breakfast orders in almost every Chinese major city as far north as Harbin.
Common regional ingredients go into congee not mentioned above include
salted duck egg
A salted duck egg is an East Asian preserved food product made by soaking duck eggs in brine or packing each egg in damp, salted charcoal. In Asian supermarkets across the Western world, these eggs are sometimes sold covered in a thick layer of ...
s, ''
rousong'', ''
zhacai
''Zha cai'' (; ), also romanized as ''Cha tsai'', is a type of pickled mustard plant stem originating in Chongqing, China. The name may also be written in English as ''cha tsai'', ''tsa tsai'', ''jar choy'', ''jar choi'', ''ja choi'', ''ja cho ...
'',
pickled tofu
Fermented tofu (also called fermented bean curd, white bean-curd cheese, tofu cheese, soy cheese, preserved tofu or sufu) is a Chinese condiment consisting of a form of processed, preserved tofu used in East Asian cuisine; typical ingredients ...
,
mung bean
The mung bean or green gram (''Vigna radiata'') is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract Green Mung Bean Extract Powder Phaseolus aureus Roxb Vigna radiata L R Wilczek. MDidea-Extracts P ...
s and
organ meats
Offal (), also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the internal organs of a butchered animal. Offal may also refer to the by-products of milled grains, such as corn or wheat.
Some cultures strongly consider offal consumption to be ...
(especially
pig liver). ''
Youtiao
''Youtiao'' (), known in Southern China as yu char kway, is a long golden-brown deep-fried strip of wheat flour dough of Chinese cuisine, Chinese origin and (by a variety of other names) also popular in other East Asia, East and Southeast Asia ...
'' is served as a side dish in some Chinese cultures. Congee with multiple ingredients tend to cultivate a reputation as an expensive, festive congee, such as
Laba congee.
Taiwan
In Taiwan, congee is known as in
Taiwanese Hokkien
Taiwanese Hokkien ( , ), or simply Taiwanese, also known as Taigi ( zh, c=臺語, tl=Tâi-gí), Taiwanese Southern Min ( zh, c=臺灣閩南語, tl=Tâi-uân Bân-lâm-gí), Hoklo and Holo, is a variety of the Hokkien language spoken natively ...
or in
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
.
Sweet potato
The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of ...
,
taro
Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...
root, or
century egg
Century eggs (), also known as alkalized or preserved eggs, are a Chinese dish made by preserving duck, chicken, or quail eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime, and rice hulls for several weeks to several months, depending on the pr ...
is often added for taste. A famous congee dish in Taiwan is the
milkfish congee.
Japan

, or often is the name for the type of congee eaten in
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, which typically uses water to rice ratios of 5:1 or 7:1 and is cooked for about 30 minutes. There are recipes that use a water to rice ratio of up to 20:1.
''Kayu'' may be made with just rice and water, and is often seasoned with salt.
Eggs can be beaten into it to thicken it. Toppings may be added to enhance flavour;
Welsh onion,
salmon
Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...
,
roe
Roe, ( ) or hard roe, is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses, of fish and certain marine animals such as shrimp, scallop, sea urchins and squid. As a seafood, roe is used both as a cooking, c ...
,
ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
, and ''
umeboshi
''Umeboshi'' (Japanese language, Japanese: wiktionary:梅, 梅干し, pronounced , ) are pickled (brined) ''ume'' fruits common in Japanese cuisine, Japan. The word ''umeboshi'' is often translated into English as 'salted Japanese plums', 'J ...
'' (pickled plums) are among the most common. ''
Miso
is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and kōji (the fungus ''Aspergillus oryzae''), and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spreads; p ...
'' or
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...
stock may be used to flavor the broth. Most Japanese
electric rice cookers have a specific setting for cooking congee.
In Japan, porridge – because it is soft and easily digestible – is regarded as a food particularly suitable for serving to the sick and elderly. For similar reasons it is commonly the first solid food served to Japanese infants, being used to help with the transition from liquids to normally cooked rice, the latter being a major part of the
Japanese diet
, transcription_name = ''Kokkai''
, legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet
, coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg
, house_type = Bicameral
, houses =
, foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...
.
A type of ''kayu'' referred to as ''
nanakusa-gayu'' (, "seven herb porridge") is traditionally eaten on
7 January with special herbs that some believe protect against evils and invite good luck and longevity in the new year. As a simple, light dish, ''nanakusa-gayu'' serves as a break from the many heavy dishes eaten over the
Japanese New Year
The is an annual festival that takes place in Japan. Since 1873, the official Japanese New Year has been celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, on January 1 of each year, . Prior to 1872, traditional events of the Japanese New Year wer ...
.
''Kayu'' is also used in
Shinto divination rituals.
is a similar dish, which uses already cooked rice, rather than cooking the rice in the soup.
Korea

() is a Korean category for
porridge
Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...
s made by boiling
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
or other
grain
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached husk, hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and ...
s or
legume
Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...
s, such as
bean
A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are traditi ...
s,
sesame
Sesame (; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a plant in the genus '' Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for ...
,
nuts, and
pumpkin
A pumpkin is a cultivar, cultivated winter squash in the genus ''Cucurbita''. The term is most commonly applied to round, orange-colored squash varieties, but does not possess a scientific definition. It may be used in reference to many dif ...
, with much more water than .
is often eaten warm, especially as a morning meal, but is now eaten at any time of the day.
Depending on the ingredients and consistency, can be considered as food for recuperation, a delicacy, or
famine food
A famine food or poverty food is any inexpensive or ready available food used to nourish people in times of hunger and starvation, whether caused by extreme poverty, such as during economic depression or war, or by natural disasters such as dro ...
.
[Juk]
Doosan Encyclopedia It is known to have nutritional benefits, and is considered to be beneficial to digestion because of its soft texture. It is a staple "get well" dish; a dish to eat when one is sick or recovering from bad health. is also considered an ideal food for babies, the ill or elderly, as it is easily eaten and digested. It is also sold commercially by many chain stores in South Korea, and is a common takeout dish.
There are more than forty varieties of mentioned in old documents.
The most basic form of , made from plain rice, is called (; 'rice porridge') or (; 'white porridge'). Being largely unflavored, it is served with a number of more flavorful side dishes, such as (salted seafood), various types of
kimchi
Kimchi (; ) is a traditional Korean side dish (''banchan'') consisting of salted and fermented vegetables, most often napa cabbage or Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including '' gochugaru'' (Korean chili powder), ...
, and other side dishes.
Notable varieties include made from finely ground
pine nut
Pine nuts, also called piñón (), pinoli (), or pignoli, are the edible seeds of pines (family Pinaceae, genus ''Pinus''). According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, only 29 species provide edible nuts, while 20 are traded locall ...
s, made with
abalone
Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen language, Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any small to very large marine life, marine gastropod mollusc in the family (biology), family Haliotidae, which once contained six genera but now cont ...
s, made from (''Coix lacryma-jobi'' var. ''ma-yuen''), and made from red beans.
Varieties of ''juk'' include:
* () – jujube porridge
* () – chicken porridge
* () – sweetfish porridge
* () – black sesame porridge
* () – pumpkin porridge
* () – beef porridge
* () – pine nut porridge
* () – abalone rice porridge
* () – red bean porridge
* () – milk porridge.
Southeast Asia
Myanmar
In
Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
, congee is called ' or ', literally "(uncooked) rice boiled". It is plain
porridge
Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...
, often made with just rice and water, but sometimes with chicken or pork stock and served with a simple garnish of chopped spring onions and crispy fried onions. Paired with garnishes of choice. (Fish sauce, chilli flakes, etc.)
Cambodia
In
Khmer, congee is called ''babor'' (). It is one of the options for breakfast along with ''
kuyteav'', another popular Cambodian breakfast dish. Congee is eaten throughout Cambodia both in the countryside and in the cities.
Congee can be eaten plain or with a variety of side dishes and toppings such as soy sauce, added to enhance taste, as well as dried salted fish or
fried breadsticks (, ).
There are two main versions of congee: plain congee, and chicken congee (, ). It is usually eaten during the colder
dry season
The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...
or when someone is sick. After the congee is prepared a variety of toppings can be added to enhance the flavour such as bean sprouts, green onions, coriander, pepper, along with the dried fish and fried breadsticks on the side. The chicken congee is the same as plain congee but contains more herbs and chicken.
Indonesia

In
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, congee is called ''bubur'', and it is a popular breakfast food.
Travelling ''bubur ayam'' vendors frequently pass through residential streets in the morning selling the dish.
A popular version is ''
bubur ayam'', which is congee with shredded chicken meat. It is also served with many condiments, such as green onion, crispy fried shallot, fried soybean, Chinese crullers (''
youtiao
''Youtiao'' (), known in Southern China as yu char kway, is a long golden-brown deep-fried strip of wheat flour dough of Chinese cuisine, Chinese origin and (by a variety of other names) also popular in other East Asia, East and Southeast Asia ...
'', known as in Indonesia), both salty and sweet soy sauce, and sometimes it is topped with yellow chicken broth and ''
kerupuk'' (Indonesian style crackers). Unlike some other Indonesian dishes, it is not spicy; ''sambal'' or chili paste is served separately.
Some food vendors serve ''
sate'' alongside it, made from quail egg or chicken intestine, liver, gizzard, or heart.
On the north coast of
Bali
Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...
, famously in a village called Bondalem, there is a local congee dish called ''mengguh'', a popular local chicken and vegetable congee that is spicier than common ''bubur ayam'' and more similar to ''
tinutuan'', using a spice mix of onions, garlic,
coriander
Coriander (), whose leaves are known as cilantro () in the U.S. and parts of Canada, and dhania in parts of South Asia and Africa, is an annual plant, annual herb (''Coriandrum sativum'') in the family Apiaceae.
Most people perceive the ...
seeds, pepper and chili.
In another region of Indonesia, the city of
Manado
Manado (, ) is the capital City status in Indonesia, city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of North Sulawesi. It is the second largest city in Sulawesi after Makassar, with the 2020 census giving a population of 451,916,Badan ...
in North Sulawesi, there is a very popular type of congee called ''
tinutuan'', or also known as ''bubur Manado'' (Manadonese porridge). It is rice porridge served with ample amount of vegetables. A bit different from the one sold in Java, it is made from rice porridge, enriched with vegetables, including ''kangkung'' (
water spinach), corn kernels, yam or sweet potato, dried salted fish, ''kemangi'' (
lemon basil
Lemon basil, hoary basil, Thai lemon basil, or Lao basil,Dorothy Culloty (''Ocimum'' × ''africanum'') is a hybrid between basil (''Ocimum basilicum'') and American basil ('' Ocimum americanum''). The herb is grown primarily in northeastern ...
) leaves and ''melinjo'' (''
Gnetum gnemon'') leaves.
In the eastern parts of Indonesia, the local congee is called
''papeda'', which is made from
sago
Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of ''Metroxylon sagu''. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is c ...
flour. It is a staple food of
Maluku and
Papuan people. Usually, it is eaten with yellow soup made from
tuna
A tuna (: tunas or tuna) is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bul ...
or ''mubara'' fish spiced with
turmeric
Turmeric (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high ...
and lime.
Laos
In
Laos
Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
, congee is called ''khao piak'', literally "wet rice" (, ). It is cooked with rice and chicken broth or water. The congee is then garnished with fried garlic, scallions and pepper. The dish will sometimes be served with chicken, quail eggs,
century eggs or ''
youtiao
''Youtiao'' (), known in Southern China as yu char kway, is a long golden-brown deep-fried strip of wheat flour dough of Chinese cuisine, Chinese origin and (by a variety of other names) also popular in other East Asia, East and Southeast Asia ...
''. In Laos, congee is usually eaten as breakfast and during the cold season.
Malaysia
In Malaysia, congee is known as porridge or bubur.
Philippines

''
Lugaw'' (pronounced ) is the
Filipino generic term for rice gruel. It encompasses a wide variety of dishes, ranging from savory dishes very similar to Chinese-style congee to dessert dishes. In the
Visayan regions, savory ''lugaw'' are known as ''pospas''. ''Lugaw'' typically use
glutinous rice
Domestication syndrome refers to two sets of phenotypic traits that are common to either domesticated plants or domesticated animals.
Domesticated animals tend to be smaller and less aggressive than their wild counterparts; they may also hav ...
(Tagalog: ''malagkit''; Visayan: ''pilit''). It is usually thicker than other Asian congees, retaining the shape of the rice, yet with a similar texture.
Savory versions of ''lugaw'' are flavored with
ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
and traditionally topped with
scallion
Scallions (also known as green onions and spring onions) are edible vegetables of various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions. Their close relatives include garlic, shallots, leeks, chive ...
s and toasted
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...
. Dried red
safflower
Safflower (''Carthamus tinctorius'') is a highly branched, herbaceous, thistle-like annual plant in the family Asteraceae. It is one of the world's oldest crops; today, it is commercially cultivated for vegetable oil extracted from the seeds. ...
(''kasubha'') may also be used as a topping, mainly as a visual
garnish and to impart a more appealing yellow tinge to the dish. As with Japanese ''kayu'',
fish
A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
or
chicken stock may be used to flavor the broth. The most popular variants of ''lugaw'' include ''
arroz caldo
''Arroz caldo'' is a Spanish language, Spanish term meaning "broth rice". It is derived from the Spanish dish arroz caldoso.
In Philippine cuisine, it is made of rice and chicken gruel heavily infused with ginger and garnished with toasted ga ...
'' (chicken), ''
goto'' (beef tripe), ''lugaw na baboy'' (pork), ''lugaw na baka'' (beef), and ''lugaw na tokwa't baboy'' (
diced tofu and pork). Other versions can also use ''
tinapa'' (smoked fish), ''palakâ'' (
frog legs), ''utak'' (brain
f pig, ''dilà'' (tongue
f pig, and ''litid'' (
eefligaments). They are traditionally seasoned with
calamansi,
fish sauce
Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, L ...
(''patís''),
soy sauce
Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...
(''toyò''), and
black pepper
Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...
. It is often served to the ill and the elderly, and is favored among
Filipinos
Filipinos () are citizens or people identified with the country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various Austronesian peoples, all typically speaking Filipino language, Filipino, Philippine English, English, or other Philippine language ...
living in colder climates because it is warm, soft, and easy to digest.
Dessert versions of ''lugaw'' include ''
champorado'' (''lugaw'' with home-made chocolate topped with milk), ''
binignit'' (''lugaw'' in coconut milk with various fruits and root crops), and ''
ginataang mais'' (''lugaw'' with
sweet corn
Sweet corn (''Zea mays'' convar. ''saccharata'' var. ''rugosa''), also called sweetcorn, sugar corn and pole corn, is a variety of maize grown for human consumption with a high sugar content. Sweet corn is the result of a naturally occurring rec ...
and coconut milk), among others. Like the savory versions, they are usually eaten for breakfast, but can also be eaten as a snack. In
Hiligaynon-speaking areas, ''lugaw'' may refer to ''binignit''.
Singapore
In
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, Teochew porridge or Singapore-style porridge is a version of Singapore congee.
In Singapore, it is considered a comfort food for both breakfast and supper. Teochew porridge dish often accompanied with various small plates of side dishes.
Usually, it is served as a banquet of meats, fish egg and vegetables eaten with plain rice porridge. The recipes that early immigrants prepared in Singapore have been modified over the generations to suit local tastes. Singapore Teochew style porridge is usually consumed with a selection of Singaporean Chinese side dishes. There is no fixed list of side dishes, but in Singapore, accompaniments typically include lor bak (braised pork), steamed fish, stir-fried water spinach (kangkong goreng), salted egg, fish cake, tofu, omelette, minced meat, braised tau kway, Hei Bee Hiang (fried shrimp chilli paste), and vegetables.
Thailand

In
Thai cuisine
Thai cuisine (, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand.
Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with aromatics and spicy heat. The Australian chef David Thompson (chef), David Thompson, an expert on Thai food, observes that ...
, rice porridge, known as ''Chok'' or ''Jok'' (, , a loanword from
Min Nan
Southern Min (), Minnan ( Mandarin pronunciation: ) or Banlam (), is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Chinese languages that form a branch of Min Chinese spoken in Fujian (especially the Minnan region), most of Taiwan ...
Chinese), is often served as breakfast with a raw or partially cooked egg added. Minced pork or beef and chopped spring onions are usually added, and the dish is optionally topped with a small donut-like ''
pathongko'', fried garlic, slivered ginger, and spicy pickles such as pickled radish. Although it is more popular as a breakfast dish, many stores specializing in ''Jok'' sell it throughout the day. Variations in the meat and toppings are also frequently found. It is especially popular during Thailand's cool season.
Plain congee, known as ''khao tom kui'' (), is served at specialty restaurants, which serve a multitude of side dishes to go with it, such as ''yam kun chiang'' (a
Thai salad made with sliced dried Chinese sausages), ''mu phalo'' (pork stewed in soy sauce and
five-spice powder), and ''mu nam liap'' (minced pork fried with chopped
Chinese olives).
Notable ''Jok'' eateries in Bangkok can be found in areas like
Bang Rak on
Charoen Krung, home to Jok Prince which received the
Bib Gourmand
The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few restaurants in certain geographic ...
from Michelin Guidebook,
Talat Noi in
Chinatown
Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
beside
Wat Traimit near
Hua Lamphong
Bangkok (Hua Lamphong) railway station (, ) is a railway station in Pathum Wan, the former central passenger terminal in Bangkok and the former railway hub of Thailand. It is in the center of the city in the Pathum Wan district, and is operat ...
, and the Jok Chai neighbourhood in
Lat Phrao, where the dish is available 24 hours a day. ''Khao tom kui'' is found in areas such as the
Yaowarat and
Wong Wian Yi Sip Song Karakadakhom (July 22 Circle) neighbourhoods.
In a popular reference within the 2011 US comedy film
The Hangover Part II set in Thailand, ''Jok'' is described as being a food for ″small babies and very old people″ with ″no taste″ that is nourishment ″everybody can digest″. The reference is used to describe the character of the protagonist Stu Price (portrayed by
Ed Helms
Edward Parker Helms (born January 24, 1974) is an American actor, musician and comedian. From 2002 to 2006, he was a correspondent on Comedy Central's '' The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. He played paper salesman Andy Bernard in the NBC sit ...
).
Vietnam
In Vietnam, congee () is sometimes cooked with
pandan leaves or Asian
mung bean
The mung bean or green gram (''Vigna radiata'') is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract Green Mung Bean Extract Powder Phaseolus aureus Roxb Vigna radiata L R Wilczek. MDidea-Extracts P ...
. In its simplest form (plain rice
porridge
Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...
, known as ''cháo hoa''), it is a food for times of famine and hardship to stretch the rice ration. Alternately, as is especially common among Buddhist monks, nuns and lay persons, it can be a simple breakfast food eaten with pickled vegetables or
fermented bean curd (''chao'').
Despite its ubiquity among the poor, it is also popular as a main dish when cooked with a variety of meats. For example, ''cháo gà'' is cooked with chicken, garlic, and ginger. The rice porridge is cooked in chicken broth, and when the chicken is cooked, the meat is sliced and layered on a bed of shredded raw
cabbage
Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of '' Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.& ...
and sliced
scallions
Scallions (also known as green onions and spring onions) are edible vegetables of various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions. Their close relatives include garlic, shallots, leeks, chive ...
and drizzled with a vinegar-based sauce, to be eaten as a side dish. Other combinations include ''cháo vịt'' (duck porridge), which is cooked in the same manner as chicken porridge. ''Cháo lòng heo'' is made with ''lòng heo'', a variety of
offal
Offal (), also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the internal organ (anatomy), organs of a butchered animal. Offal may also refer to the by-products of Milling (grinding), milled grains, such as corn or wheat.
Some cultures strong ...
from pork or duck with sliced portions of congealed pork blood. ''Cháo'' is typically served with ''
quẩy'' on the side.
is a congee containing pig
kidney
In humans, the kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped blood-filtering organ (anatomy), organs that are a multilobar, multipapillary form of mammalian kidneys, usually without signs of external lobulation. They are located on the left and rig ...
(). A specialty of the
Hóc Môn District in
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025.
The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
, it is typically eaten in rural areas of southern Vietnam. Well-known vendors include , , and . Another typical Vietnamese dish is , a congee with mushrooms.
Youtiao
''Youtiao'' (), known in Southern China as yu char kway, is a long golden-brown deep-fried strip of wheat flour dough of Chinese cuisine, Chinese origin and (by a variety of other names) also popular in other East Asia, East and Southeast Asia ...
is usually added to congee especially at congee vendors.
It is also common to eat ''cháo'' when ill, as it is believed the porridge is easy to digest while being fortifying. For such purposes, the ''cháo'' is sometimes cooked with roasted white rice, giving the porridge broth a more nuanced body and a subtle, nutty flavor. In some parts of Vietnam, local customs call for making ''cháo'' as offerings for the "wandering souls" during the Buddhist
Vu Lan summer feast.
South Asia
Tamil Nadu
Kanji is a popular dish in the state of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
. Among the working classes, it is a staple nourishing breakfast dish, although consumed often for lunch and dinner as well. In addition, all classes regard kanji as an excellent food during convalescence, for its ability to be easily digested. The different kinds of kanji in Tamil Nadu includes rice kanji (the most popular): variations of this include sweet rice kanji (milk and sugar/jaggery added to the cooked rice soup) or salt rice kanji (buttermilk and salt added to the rice soup); wheat kanji, mung bean kanji, ragi/millet kanji, multi-grain kanji.
Karnataka
In
Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
, a plain rice porridge, or the thick supernatant water from overcooked rice, is known as (). Kanji is also prepared with different grains available in different parts of
Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
, for example minor millet or pearl millet, finger millet, broken wheat, maize. In coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi of
Karavali
Kanara or Canara, also known as Karāvali, is the historically significant stretch of land situated by the southwestern Konkan coast of India, alongside the Arabian Sea in the present-day Indian state of Karnataka.
The subregion comprises thr ...
region of Karnataka state, Ganji made from parboiled or red or brown rice or white was staple food of most inhabitants of those districts. Also a special type of Ganji is prepared on the occasion of Dwadashi in Tulu speaking
Shivalli Brahmins households Even today still many households in those districts have Ganji as staple food. In
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
, it is eaten as a porridge with green lentils or chutney. is prepared with rice or
ragi. Nuts and spices are added to the depending on the economic status or health requirements. Rice is prepared by boiling rice in large amounts of water. To this preparation, either milk and sugar (usually
jaggery
Jaggery is a List of unrefined sweeteners, traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, North America, Central America, Brazil and Africa. It is a concentrated product of Sugarcane juice, cane jui ...
) or curd (yoghurt) and salt are added. is prepared by drying sprouts in shade, and then grinding them into a smooth powder. This powder is added to water and cooked. Milk and brown sugar are added to this cooked preparation for taste. can be given to infants after six months. Another kanji preparation uses (
sago
Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of ''Metroxylon sagu''. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is c ...
) in . Sago is dry roasted and powdered with/ without sugar. Powdered sago is boiled in water until cooked. This is eaten by all ages from adults to infants as young as three months.
Maharashtra
In the Konkan region of Maharashtra in India, congee is known as , is a home remedy for treating a fever as it is easy to digest. The farming and manual labour community of the same region, on the other hand, consume on a daily basis in the late morning as a source of energy. Variants of the dish include () which is made with ragi and rice, or is a sweeter version which is made with rice,
fenugreek
Fenugreek (; ''Trigonella foenum-graecum'') is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae, with leaves consisting of three small Glossary_of_leaf_morphology#Leaf_and_leaflet_shapes, obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semiar ...
and jaggery, which is usually served to a nursing mother. The rice here is usually eaten boiled, with dry fish, vegetables or pickles.
Western Karnataka and Goa
In
Goa
Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
state and
Udupi
Udupi () also known as 'Odipu' () is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Udupi district, and one of the fastest-growing cities in Karnataka. Udupi is one of the top tourist attractions in Karnataka an ...
and
Dakshina Kannada
Dakshina Kannada district is located in the states and territories of India, state of Karnataka in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangaluru. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east and the ...
districts, people usually eat rice in a variant manner made by
Kannada
Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
-speaking,
Tulu-speaking or
Konkani people
The Konkani people are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group native to the Konkan region of the Indian subcontinent. They speak various dialects of the Konkani language. Following the Konkani language agitation, Konkani becam ...
in and around Udupi and Mangalore (
Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
,
South India
South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
). There,
parboiled
Parboiling (or leaching) is the partial or semi boiling of food as the first step in cooking. The word is from the Old French ''parbouillir'', 'to boil thoroughly' but by mistaken association with "part", it has acquired this definition.
The w ...
rice ( in Kannada, for black rice, for white rice in Tulu or in Konkani) is steamed with a large amount of water. ''Jain ganji matt'' are famous in these districts. Usually, simple ''ganji'' with pickle and milk are served, in ''Jain matts''. Fresh coconut is grated, and the resulting milk skimmed and added to the ''ganji'' (called ''paez or pyaaz'' in Konkani), which is served hot with fish curry, coconut
chutney
A chutney () is a spread typically associated with cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt, or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion ...
, or
Indian pickles. In Goa, it is normally served with dried or fresh cooked fish, ''
papad'' or vegetables.
Kerala
In the Indian state of
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
, used to be considered as a main course, particularly for dinner, by the majority. This is normally taken with roasted coconut chutney, tossed
mung bean
The mung bean or green gram (''Vigna radiata'') is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract Green Mung Bean Extract Powder Phaseolus aureus Roxb Vigna radiata L R Wilczek. MDidea-Extracts P ...
known locally as , roasted (lentil crackers), (a side dish consisting mainly of root tubers/underground stems, especially during
Thiruvathira
Thiruvathira (also known as Thiruvathirai or Arudhra Darisanam) is a Hindu festival predominantly observed in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The term ''Thiruvathirai'' (Arudhra) in Tamil translates to "sacred grand wave," symbol ...
); sometimes coconut scrapings are also added to the kanji to increase the flavour. The royal households as well as rich people used to have a special kind of called as (lit. 'milk congee') where milk was substituted for water base.
During the Malayalam month of Karkkidakam, a medicinal is made using
Ayurvedic
Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayur ...
herbs, milk and jaggery. Karkkidakam is known as the month of diseases since the
monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...
starts during Karkkidakam. is eaten to promote the immune system.
Some households of Kerala used to re-cook leftover rice and all available leftover curries into congee water and take as a mix-mash dish known as (old congee).
means old congee (leftover from the previous day). It is not necessarily re-heated with leftover curries.
According to the Indian writer
Madhur Jaffrey, is, or derives from, a Tamil word for "boiling"—which refers to the porridge and also to any water in which rice has been cooked.
Muslims of south India especially
Tamil Muslim,
Mappila and
Beary prepare special congee during
Ramadhan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting ('' sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed to have been rev ...
called (lit. 'fasting porridge'). This is prepared by adding spices like turmeric, dry ginger, pepper, onion, and coconut paste to the congee. Sometimes fenugreek seeds are added to it to enhance the flavour.
Andhra Pradesh
In the state of
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
, it is called ''ganji'' in
Telugu. Ganji is made by boiling rice in large amounts of water and then the filtered liquid is known as Ganji. Ganji mixed with buttermilk is believed to add to the flavor, and is also suggested by doctors for patients with ailing health.
Odisha
''Kaanji'' is a traditional
Odia dish. It is a soup-based dish like ''dal'', but tastes a little sour. It is made of rice starch fermented for a few days in an earthen pot. This is considered a healthy dish as many winter vegetables are used as main ingredients. It is seasoned with mustard seeds and turmeric and served hot..
Pakhala is a separate dish with certain similarities to the congee.
In the Buddhist Yāgu Sutta of the Aṅguttara Nikāya (AN 5.207), the Buddha recommends eating rice porridge, "yāgu": "There are these five benefits in rice porridge. What five? It stills hunger, dispels thirst, settles wind, cleans out the bladder, and promotes the digestion of the remnants of undigested food. These are the five benefits of rice porridge.".
Sri Lanka
In
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
, several types of congee are known as ''kenda'' in
Sinhalese. Sinhala people use congee as a breakfast, a side dish, an accessory to indigenous medical therapies, and a sweet. ''Kenda'' can be prepared with many ingredients, including rice, roasted rice, rice flour, finger millet flour, sago, coconut milk, herbs, tubers, ''kitul'' flour, and mung bean. When it is prepared with rice and water only, it is known as ''hal kenda''. If salt is added to bring a much saltier taste, it is known as ''lunu kenda,'' a dish commonly used as a supplementary diet in purgation therapy in indigenous medical traditions. If roasted rice is used, the congee becomes ''bendi hal kenda'', utilized to treat diarrheal diseases. If rice flour and coconut milk are the main ingredients, such congee is known as ''kiriya''. If finger millet flour and water is used, it is known as ''kurakkan anama''. If coconut milk is added, the dish is called ''kurakkan kenda''. If sago is used, such congee is known as ''sawu kenda''. A special type of congee prepared from the byproducts of coconut oil production is known as ''pol kiri kenda''. There are many varieties of ''
kola kenda'', congee with herbs as an ingredient; sometimes, a ''vaidya'' or ''veda mahttaya'' (a physician trained in indigenous medical traditions) might prescribe a special type of ''kola kenda'', known under such circumstances as ''behet kenda''. Sinhala villagers use specific tubers for preparing congee, such as ''Diascorea'' species tubers. If ''kitul'' flour is mixed with boiling water and coconut milk added to it, this special type of congee is known as ''kitul piti kenda''. ''Kenda'' prepared with mung beans is known as ''mung eta kenda''.
Most of the time, ''kiriya'', ''kurakkan kenda'', ''sawu kenda'', ''pol kiri kenda'' and ''kitul piti kenda'' are used as sweets. Sugar, candy, dates, raisins, cashew nut, jaggery, and treacle are among the ingredients that may be added to sweeten these congees.
Congee is also eaten by
Sri Lankan Moors
Sri Lankan Moors (; Arwi: ; ; formerly Ceylon Moors; colloquially referred to as Sri Lankan Muslims) are an ethnic minority group in Sri Lanka, comprising 9.3% of the country's total population. Most of them are native speakers of the Tamil langua ...
for ''
iftar
''Iftar'' () is the Fasting in Islam, fast-breaking Supper, evening meal of Muslims in Ramadan at the time of ' (call to prayer) of the Maghrib prayer.
Iftar is the second meal of the day; during Ramadan, the daily fast begins immediately a ...
'' during
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...
. It is also occasionally made with oats.
Tamils
The Tamils ( ), also known by their endonym Tamilar, are a Dravidian peoples, Dravidian ethnic group who natively speak the Tamil language and trace their ancestry mainly to the southern part of the Indian subcontinent. The Tamil language is o ...
and
Moors
The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a s ...
in Sri Lanka call it (rice ) and may use chicken or beef for it. It is just as often made with milk (''paal kanji''), and there are many other combinations with appropriate prefixes in Tamil; One very special type being 'Chithirai' kanji, Chithirai being the Tamil month coinciding with April/May, made for a festival in this month. It is a salty simple kanji with green chilis, onions and coconut milk.
Nepal
In Nepal, congee is known as ''jaulo'', it can be prepared by mixing pulses like moong or red lentil, or plain with salt and lots of water. It is tempered with fenugreek seeds and ghee. It is considered a light food which is why it eaten in sick days or as light supper.
Maldives
Baipen is a bland rice porridge from the Maldives. During
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...
,
Maldivian Muslims break their fast with baipen and
Rihaakuru. It is eaten with
maskurolhi, a spicy tuna and coconut
sambal
Sambal is an Indonesian chili sauce or paste, typically made from a mixture of chillis with secondary ingredients such as shrimp paste (terasi), garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. ''Sambal'' is an Indonesia ...
.
Baipen can be made savory or sweet depending on the occasion, and its preparation varies regionally. In
Eydhafushi
Eydhafushi ( Dhivehi: އޭދަފުށި) is the capital of Baa Atoll, which is an administrative division of the Maldives. Located in the central part of the country, Eydhafushi serves as the political, economic, and administrative hub of the regi ...
, baipen is fermented for a week before consumption. It is known as 'Honihiru baipen' (Saturday rice porridge) since it is consumed on Saturday.
The Americas
Caribbean Tamil Community
Among the
Indo-Caribbean
Indo-Caribbean or Indian-Caribbean people are people from the Caribbean who trace their ancestry to the Indian subcontinent. They are descendants of the Jahaji indentured laborers from British India, who were brought by the British, Dutch, and ...
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
Community, a dish called "Kandji" or "Kanchi" is made with
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
,
chickpeas,
black eyed peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American musical group formed in Los Angeles in 1995, composed of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo (rapper), Taboo. Fergie (singer), Fergie was a member during the height of their popularity in the 2000s, and ...
,
onions
An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classified ...
, grated
coconuts
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
, and
salt
In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...
. It is traditionally eaten after a
puja and is traditionally offered to Kali Amman (a syncretic mix of
Mariamman
Mariamman, often abbreviated to Amman (), is a Hindu Dravidian folk religion List of rain deities, goddess of weather, predominantly venerated in the rural areas of South India. Her festivals are held during the late summer/early autumn season ...
and
Kali
Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who p ...
), the main goddess of the Caribbean Tamil Community (see also:
Caribbean Shaktism). The ingredients are traditionally gathered from begging door to door and then constructing the dish in the temple's complex.
Europe
Hungary
In
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, it is called rizskása, a traditional
Hungarian food in the Hungarian population of Upper-Hungary (today
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
) and is also used as strudel filling.
Portugal
In
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
, a traditional soup made of rice and chicken meat is named ''
canja'' or ''
Canja de galinha''. The Portuguese likely picked up the dish from their colonies in Western/Southern India or Sri Lanka; where the soup remains a staple (particularly for the ill). The rice is not cooked for as long as in Asian congee, so it is very soft, but not disintegrated. Traditionally, a boiling fowl containing small, immature eggs is used; the eggs are carefully boiled and served in the ''canja''. This soup is sometimes served with a fresh
mint
Mint or The Mint may refer to:
Plants
* Lamiaceae, the mint family
** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint"
Coins and collectibles
* Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins
* Mint condition, a state of like-new ...
leaf on top. Strongly valued as comfort food, it is traditionally given to people recovering from disease, as in Asia, and in some regions of Portugal, there is even a custom of feeding the mother a strict diet of ''canja'' in the first weeks after childbirth. It is also eaten traditionally in Brazil and Cape Verde, former Portuguese colonies.
See also
* ''
Bap
BAP or bap may refer to:
Food
* Bap (bread), a bread roll
* Bap (rice dish), of Korea
People
* Bap Kennedy (1962–2016), Northern Irish singer-songwriter
* Bronze Age Pervert, Romanian-American right-wing writer and podcaster
Music
* BAP (Germa ...
''
*
Cooked rice
Cooked rice refers to rice that has been cooked either by steaming or boiling. The terms steamed rice or boiled rice are also commonly used. Any variant of Oryza sativa, Asian rice (both Indica rice, indica and Japonica rice, japonica varieties) ...
*
Curd rice
*
Gruel
Gruel is a food consisting of some type of cereal—such as ground oats, wheat, rye, or rice—heated or boiled in water or milk. It is a thinner version of porridge that may be more often drunk rather than eaten. Historically, gruel has been a ...
* ''
Kasha
In English, kasha usually refers to the pseudocereal buckwheat or its culinary preparations. In Slavic languages, "kasha" means porridge or puree. In some varieties of Eastern European cuisine, ''kasha'' can apply to any kind of cooked grain. I ...
''
* ''
Lâpa''
* ''
Mieum''
*
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a preparation of oats that have been dehusked, steamed, and flattened, or a coarse flour of hulled oat grains ( groats) that have either been milled (ground), rolled, or steel-cut. Ground oats are also called white oats. Steel- ...
* ''
Papeda''
*
Rice cereal
*
Rice pudding
Rice pudding is a dish made from rice mixed with water or milk and commonly other ingredients such as sweeteners, spices, flavourings and sometimes eggs.
Variants are used for either desserts or dinners. When used as a dessert, it is commonly c ...
*
Sampan congee
* ''
Sungnyung
''Sungnyung'' () is a Traditional food, traditional Korean infusion made from boiled scorched rice.
Preparation
This drink is typically made from ''nurungji'', the roasted (but not charred) crust of rice that forms on the bottom of a pot after ...
''
*
List of ancient dishes
This is a list of ancient dishes, prepared foods and beverages that have been recorded as originating in ancient history. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with Sumerian cuneiform script, the oldest discovered form of ...
*
List of porridges
Porridge is a dish made by boiling ground, crushed, or chopped starchy plants (typically grains) in water, milk, or both, with optional flavorings, and is usually served hot in a bowl or dish. It may be served as a sweet or savory dish, depending ...
Notes
References
External links
Chicken Congee ''
NYT Cooking''.
{{Authority control
Ancient dishes
Buddhist cuisine
Burmese rice dishes
Chinese rice dishes
Hong Kong cuisine
Indian rice dishes
Japanese rice dishes
Juk
National dishes
Philippine rice dishes
Taiwanese rice dishes
Tamil cuisine
Thai rice dishes
Vegetarian cuisine
Vietnamese rice dishes