Comfort Food without the Guilt – Rice Porridge

We usually associate comfort food with burgers, pizza, smoothies, and fries – anything high-fat and high-calorie. We believe that comfort food nurture our mind and soul, even though it does not do any good to our body. In this article, you will learn about rice porridge, as a “super comfort food”, which soothes your soul and your stomach at the same time without bringing you any guilt.

Rice porridge, also known as congee, is popular across Asian countries. The plain rice porridge is basically white rice slow-cooked in excessive water. To give it some more flavors, it is usually served with pickled side dishes or cooked with meat, fish and/or vegetables. It is hard to tell where the origin of congee is, but it is often related to war times or famine, when food resources were scarce and needed to be stretched to feed more people.

In Hong Kong, even though there has been no war or famine happening in the city, rice porridge still plays an important part in the local food culture. Hong Kong people are well known for their unhealthy lifestyle – long working hours, staying up late, eating out frequently, and constantly under stress. Because of this, it is best to have comfort food that revives the body and soul. Scientifically speaking, rice porridge is good for your body because it is full of energy with high carbohydrates and is easy to digest. Local people use congee to balance out their unhealthy diets, given that congee is comparatively less salty and oily; and to clear the “heat” which comes from stress, lack of sleep, and unhealthy diets. It is also one of the best picks when feeling sick, for it warming and soothing quality.

If you are down to trying some rice porridge, there are few popular styles of rice porridge in Hong Kong. Chicken/beef/fish congee are beginner level for travelers, while Sampan congee (艇仔粥) and congee with pork and century egg (皮蛋瘦肉粥) are more advanced levels. Sampan congee used to be a popular dish among the fishermen and boatmen around Canton area, which is rice porridge with seafood of various sort, pork skin, fried peanuts and green onions. Congee with pork and century egg is self-explanatory in content. You may have missed out its good flavor if you are scared off by how it looks! Compared with rice porridge with meat, these two congees are more contentful and richer in terms of texture and flavor. Enjoy the Asian comfort food!