Tom Douglas

A Congee Thanksgiving Tradition! /by Herschell Taghap, Social Media and Seatown Cook

Just out of the oven, a turkey carving a turkey (lol), stock!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, not only for the cornucopia of food, but mainly because our short time in Seattle allows us to make new “family” traditions that may or may not stick over the next 20 years.  We’re kinda playing it by ear.  Hee hee.

One tradition that my girlfriend Liana will NOT miss is turkey congee the day after Thanksgiving.  Growing up in a Chinese household, one of her grandmothers would make a delicious creamy rice porridge that would warm the coldest of mornings. It’s one of her favorite holiday memories.

After dinner yesterday, I didn’t waste any time making stock! I placed the picked-over carcass in a large pot and added enough water to cover. I also added roasted onions that I charred in the broiler and nubs of ginger.  And since I was working at Seatown the next day, I thought I’d share the tradition with my co-workers! HOORAY FAMILY MEAL.

“Day After Thanksgiving” Congee

Congee is uber simple to make and should be available in your pantry / freezer at all times. It’s my favorite thing during cold nights and even better on colder mornings for breakfast (WITH THICK SLIPPER SOCKS). I used Thanksgiving turkey scraps, but you could use chicken here!
Liquid to rice ratio: 8 to 1

Bring 6 cups (turkey / chicken) stock and 2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and bring to a boil again. Reduce to low heat for a gentle simmer. Add one inch nub of ginger and one clove of garlic. Cover pot and cook for one hour. Do not remove cover. You will not need to stir.

During this time, the rice should have expanded twice its size and then released its starches to where the soup becomes thicker. I stop the cooking process when the soup has the consistency of oatmeal and can barely see the original grain shape, about 1.5 hours. I then hit it with one teaspoon of freshly ground white pepper. I also use enough Kosher salt to BARELY season the soup – I’ll explain why:

Etta’s sous chef, Nathan Crave, was nice enough to bring a few salted duck eggs for an awesome savory-ness.  He also hooked it up with some dried shrimp, which also adds a special salty boost, which is why I hardly used any salt during cooking. I also served family meal with sliced green onions and cilantro, garlic chips and oil and crushed nuts for crunch!

364 days until congee day! TRADITION!

November 27th, 2010