The Recipe of Jook

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After doing this for 4 times, I think this recipe is reliable enough to share with others. ‘Jook’ in Teochew is porridge in English.

dining-140.jpgIngredients (for 2 large servings):

  • 150g lean chicken meat
  • Marinade sauce for chicken meat: 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper & 1 tsp sugar
  • 1.5 cup of rice
  • 700ml chicken stock
  • 0.5 cup dried scallops (small variety will do)
  • 2 century eggs
  • 1 spring onion
  • Ginger slices
  • Crushed garlic cloves
  • Sesame oil
  • Pepper
  • Soy sauce
  • Salt

Procedure:

  1. Cut chicken meat into thin strips and marinade with the sauce stated above. Set aside for 1 hour or leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
  2. In a cooking pot, wash rice (2-3 times) and soak it in clean water for an hour.
  3. Drain water from the rice and add in chicken stock, dried scallops, 2 crushed garlic cloves & a few slices of ginger.
  4. Bring the entire pot to boil. In the meantime, peel and chop the century eggs and set it aside. Chop the spring onions and peel and cut ginger into fine strips – these will serve as garnishings.
  5. Once the porridge starts boiling, stir to mix the rice grains evenly and especially to prevent them from getting stuck to the bottom of pot (the use of corning ware is recommended as it is easier to remove any burnt marks later). Bring the flame down to low heat and continue stirring regularly.
  6. When the porridge appears to thicken, add some hot water and continue stirring.
  7. After about 30-40 mins (use your judgement), the grains would start to break up and scallops soften. Add some hot water again and stir well. (In fact, add water whenever the porridge thickens). Cook until you obtain the texture you desire.
  8. Add century egg and stir continously. Next, add the chicken meat and stir well.
  9. Add salt, soy sauce and pepper to taste. Once you are satisfied with the taste, douse 5-8 drops of sesame oil and give the porridge a final stir. Turn off the flame and serve immediately
  10. Add the sprng onions and ginger as garnishing on the porridge. Add 2-3 drops of sesame oil to add fragrance to the dish. If you have dried salted seaweed, serve it as a side dish. It tastes yummy with porridge!

Bon appetit!