Why We Eat Congee, The Humble Rice Porridge

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[lucasotis]

I love how this dude narrates so conversationally, he's a natural educator. More Lucas!

[daycart]

Lucas is one of the most eloquent and erudite chef hosts on Munchies.

[MsSister]

I made this on accident when I was young. I rented a house by myself from a Hmong man and his wife. Throughout the 3 years I lived there they would check on me just to make sure I was ok or needed anything. I knew how to cook basic food. So I always loved wild rice because we had so much of it on the reservation but found it was very expensive off the rez so I bought white rice. One day, i woke up and it was about -40 (40 below 0) outside. I thought to try making chicken and wild rice soup. During this time my landlord called and asked if the house was warm enough and i told him the doors were frozen shut. Meanwhile i have a pot of stock going and a chicken stewing. Anyone who has had real indian rice knows it is very different than white rice. However at this point in my life i didn't know much about white rice. So, i bone the chicken and add white rice then go back to trying to release my door. I'm not sure how much time passed and eventually I hear my landlord, his wife and brother outside trying also to free my doors. Finally the door is open and his family comes in and they are frozen. The kitchen is warm and smells so good and cozy. Mrs. Vang goes to the stove and opens the pot. "You didn't have to do this, save your money, when did you learn our about our food?"that day we sat in my living room eating and telling stories from our different backgrounds. She taught me how to wear make up too. I miss them and I make this still on cold days

[melchaos]

During the Khmer Rouge era, 1 can of rice was given to feed 12 people total, they turned into congee and everyone was fed enough to see another day. My grandfather told me about this who had gone through that era.

[Littlestraincloud]

I loved hearing Lucas go off about the migration of recipes and evolution of flatbreads, porridges, and dumplings.

[sonickgq]

Love how he calls out the beauty of the century egg, as compared to other "non-ethnic" food shows that focus on how "strange" it is and the pungent flavor from the alkalinity when non-chinese hosts ultimately eat it by itself, which is not how it's actually eaten.

[LifeDeath]

Aw man, this was a lot of Asian kid's childhood, mine included. That moment when you get the flu or a cold. Instead of chicken soup, the first thing mom or grandma would do is make you a nice warm bowl of chicken congee.

[kuhdeejugh]

you know what i find super interesting? when lucas talked about the etymology of the word 'congee', he said that it most likely came from the tamil word 'kanji'. in the malay language, 'kanji' means starch. since rich contains starch and the malay language is partially derived from sanskrit, i just found it amazing how all these asian cultures share such close relationships with each other, including our relationship with food!

[ekaf]

My man needs his own show diving into food history. I’m sure he’s pretty busy as it is, but for sure that would be a hit. There’s not enough content exploring the history of food and how it evolves through time and different cultures

[OMundoDeAnna]

The moment I, a Brazilian, realized that Congee IS "canja de galinha" in Brazil my mind exploded and I'm still picking up the pieces. Food is fucking magic.

[lolilollolilol]

OK, I've now seen a few videos with this chef, and I can attest that his knowledge is truly encyclopedic. The dude is not just a chef, he is a History buff and a genius.

[CaptainSlowbeard]

Congee pretty much saved my life when I was younger. I got really sick when I was backpacking through Indonesia, and couldn't eat anything for about 10 days - any food just felt like I was swallowing glass, even noodles. The first thing I could stomach when I started to get better was a couple of spoonfuls of plain bubur (congee). I've never been as grateful for a meal in my entire life, and the next 2 weeks that was all I ate. Gradually I was able to add more of the "extras": ayam (chicken), krupuk (prawn crackers), kacang goreng (fried peanuts), kuah kuning (yellow sauce), bawang goreng (deep fried shallots).

It's become my favourite of all foods, as well my first wish when I'm feeling ill. I always try the local version in any country I visit.

Just as you mention, some dishes are universal - flatbreads, porridges, dumplings. It's a pretty amazing that we still have these living connections to a deep, human past.

Food really is the great leveller - a beautiful, binding human language.

[aaronwanjala]

My favorite part of Lucas' commentary here are the lines he drew between his experiences (... congee *as I made it*...), his areas of expertise (... I am not a doctor but...), and the facts he's studied and came on to share (food science, I assume).

I never felt like he represented his opinions as fact or overgeneralized on the topic.

Very well done 👍

[testdasi]

Back when I was a student on a budget, my go-to congee recipe was like this: put 1 cup of rice in a rice cooker, fill water to the max line (about 10 cups), add a pinch of salt and chicken (or whatever protein I could find in my tiny dorm fridge), a slice of ginger, turn it to cook with lid off for 30 mins (and heat up my not-so-well-insulated dorm room in the process LOL).

[chickenman]

More Lucas please, I wouldn't mind spending hours just listening to him talking about the evolution of food.

[chillaxation]

Just made arroz caldo for family meal for me and my staff a few days ago, perfect for the non-stop rain we're getting here in the Ilocos region in the Philippines. Topped with cubed deep fried tofu, soft boiled egg, scallions, crispy garlic, shredded chicken, patis (fish sauce) + kalamansi sauce, and hot chili oil for those of us who like that spice. ;) Cheers!

[sreerajnambiar]

"Ingredients dnt move the way ideas do, Recipes do!!..." makes so much sense in a wider context of things.

[GhilenPeek]

Why hasn't any of the streaming services picked up this guy to do a show about Chinese food, I think this guy will do it justice.

[kistina]

7:12 "You introduce water and heat in different times, your mill grains are different textures and everybody will end up with very similar foods with the type of grains they grow in their local areas. What gets interesting is in terms of agriculture: what type of grains, filling you use, what else you add to that base, what textures are preferred (flakier/doughy flat bread, silky/bite congee)

7:45 "That's how food ways moves around the world, my friends. Recipes and ingredients get shared as people move but the ingredients change because they are in different areas. Ingredients dont move the way ideas do, recipes do."

[seratonin]

I think I’m going to be so obsessed with this series. Already he’s mentioned the history, science, why it’s eaten and even the ETYMOLOGY of the dish, , , I am so in love this is exactly the kind of cooking knowledge I wanted—the video is so lovingly well-rounded. Food is so fascinating but it’s such an everyday thing people have to do to live