Chicken and ginger jook (粥)
Rice cooked long and slow in plenty of water until it becomes a silky porridge, perfumed with ginger and topped with shredded chicken, scallion, and a drizzle of soy sauce. The simplest and most beloved food of Chinatown.
Rice cooked long and slow in plenty of water until it becomes a silky porridge, perfumed with ginger and topped with shredded chicken, scallion, and a drizzle of soy sauce. The simplest and most beloved food of Chinatown.
They thought I was born for silk gowns and spotlights, but do you know what I missed in Berlin, in London? That bowl of jook my mother would let melt for hours on the stove, behind the laundry. You throw in a handful of rice, plenty of water, a slice of ginger, and you wait — patience is the whole secret. When I was sick, that's what they served me, piping hot, with a little shredded chicken and scallion. Believe me, no hotel table in Europe ever warmed me like that bowl.
- •Fragrant white rice — one cup (base that breaks down into porridge)
- •Water — in large quantity (long cooking, very high ratio)
- •Fresh ginger — a few slices (warming fragrance)
- •Leftover chicken or carcass — whatever you have (garnish and broth)
- •Scallion — one stalk (final freshness)
- •Light soy sauce — a dash (umami seasoning)
Chicken and ginger jook (粥)
Rice cooked long and slow in plenty of water until it becomes a silky porridge, perfumed with ginger and topped with shredded chicken, scallion, and a drizzle of soy sauce. The simplest and most beloved food of Chinatown.
Why this dish? As the daughter of a Cantonese family in Los Angeles Chinatown, Anna May Wong grew up with the smell of rice simmering behind her father's laundry. Jook — congee — was the lunch of winter mornings and the remedy for feverish days: a comforting bowl that connected her to her roots even at the height of Hollywood.
They thought I was born for silk gowns and spotlights, but do you know what I missed in Berlin, in London? That bowl of jook my mother would let melt for hours on the stove, behind the laundry. You throw in a handful of rice, plenty of water, a slice of ginger, and you wait — patience is the whole secret. When I was sick, that's what they served me, piping hot, with a little shredded chicken and scallion. Believe me, no hotel table in Europe ever warmed me like that bowl.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fragrant white rice — one cup (base that breaks down into porridge)
- Water — in large quantity (long cooking, very high ratio)
- Fresh ginger — a few slices (warming fragrance)
- Leftover chicken or carcass — whatever you have (garnish and broth)
- Scallion — one stalk (final freshness)
- Light soy sauce — a dash (umami seasoning)
Ingredients
- Jasmine rice — 150 g (rinsed) (base)
- Chicken broth or water — 1.8 to 2 L (cooking liquid)
- Ginger — 4 thin slices (fragrance)
- Chicken breast — 1 (200 g) (shredded garnish)
- Scallion — 2 stalks, chopped (finish)
- Light soy sauce + sesame oil — 1 tbsp + a few drops (seasoning)
Method
- Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs less cloudy.
- Bring the broth (or water) to a boil with the ginger, add the rice and the whole chicken breast.
- Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 to 1½ hours, stirring occasionally, until the rice turns into a creamy porridge.
- Remove the chicken, shred it, and return it to the jook.
- Serve piping hot, garnished with scallion, a dash of soy sauce, and a few drops of sesame oil.
How it was made : In Chinatown kitchens in the early 20th century, jook simmered at the corner of the coal stove, sometimes all morning. Leftovers were recycled — chicken carcass, salted duck egg, dried fish — and adjusted according to budget: plain water for lean days, rich garnishes for festive ones.
The contemporary twist : Serve it 'jook bar' style: the plain bowl in the center, and around it small dishes of roasted peanuts, candied ginger, scallion, and soft-boiled egg, so everyone can compose their own.
Sources : Grace Young, The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen, Simon & Schuster, 1999 · Graham Russell Gao Hodges, Anna May Wong: From Laundryman's Daughter to Hollywood Legend, 2004
Anna May Wong · Charactorium