*** Quoting Nancy Backus from a message to CAROL SHENKENBERGER ***

-=> Quoting Carol Shenkenberger to Nancy Backus on 01-14-07  14:52 <=-

 CS> Now thats the basics.  Ginger, though not listed in either mine nor
 CS> this one,  is a very common thing to add as well.

NB> Whenever I describe congee to someone who has never had it, I usually
NB> say that it is a ginger-rice soup made generally with a chicken stock,
NB> with various "meats" added.  Of course, my exposure has been to the
NB> Chinese version of rice porridge, not the Japanese...  :)  The Chinese
NB> restaurant that we first had it was run by a couple, the wife of which
NB> was Filipino.  She always said she prefered congee to be the thinner
NB> variety... her husband, who was Chinese, preferred the thicker soup.

The ginger might be from either one of them.  Like I said, it's a common
enough ¨addition.  I'd never think of Congee though as a ginger rice as
thats a ¨definate subset.  I've never seen ginger in Japan for example,
except as part ¨of the 50 or so multi-pot ones.

I have a batch on right now and it's got about 30 things. To forgetful to
list ¨them all but i came out with some 16 or so in the cooking echo
earlier.  It ¨dornst 'have to be that fancy', just normally is at the
places I eat.  The only ¨chicken in mine, was some leftover chicken
adobo-boil skin for example.  2 ¨thighs worth of skin cut to strips. Tossed
in some mystery fish and a cut up ¨squid.  Found an octopus tentacle and
cut that up.  (Hunting in my fridge can ¨be interesting). Tossed in a
seaweed salad and some miso. Pretty much your ¨regular asian sty;e kitchen
flotsam.


NB> Well, now that I know that authentic Japanese congee is more a scrap
NB> soup, I just might toss more stuff in.  Hubby isn't real keen on soup
NB> normally, anyway, although he humors me on the congee...  He'll probab
NB> like it better as a thick rice stew full of goodies... 

Yes, probably will!  I gather it can be made with fewer types of things and
¨doesnt have to be 'seafood based' if you enjoy other types.

                                       xxcarol

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