Creamy Asian Rice Porridge

Aka Congee, Jook or Okayu or the Asian Pastina

I always say that this is the Asian Mom’s version of Pastina. Every culture has a dish that your Mom makes you when you are sick. In Italy it’s Pastina, in America it’s chicken noodle soup and in Mexico it might be Caldo de Pollo. In Asian countries it’s rice porridge. This rice porridge goes by many names depending on the country but it’s commonly known as congee, jook or okayu. Digging a little deeper into this dish, I have also learned that it is also part of the peasant food series. When times were tough, you could stretch your rice but making it into a porridge like this and feed more mouths. Congee is also a first meal for many babies.