Lifestyle Interest Volume - Modern Education Reader

Author: Shang Youjing / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Congee holds a place in China as profound and enduring as the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. Unfortunately, with our limited knowledge, we cannot trace its history. Instead, we can only reflect on our own experiences with congee from childhood to the present, witnessing its enduring charm through the ages and changes of dynasties. It is not an exaggeration to say that for many Chinese, congee is as vital as the source of life. From a single pot, a spoonful, and a drop of congee, it nurtures vitality, intelligence, and even the many customs and habits we pick up along the way.
During my youth in Hangzhou, people in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions loved to eat "pao fan" (stir-fried rice). Pao fan is actually incredibly simple—just loosen leftover rice and cook it in boiling water. It's fragrant with the crispy rice at the bottom of the pot. It's usually eaten for breakfast or as a summer dinner, accompanied by pickled melon, fermented tofu, and fried broad beans. If there's a few slices of fried salted hairtail, it becomes a delightful and affordable meal for ordinary families. For people in the Jiangnan region, pao fan is essentially the same as congee, an indispensable part of life, no different from the habit of drinking congee in the northern regions.
My grandmother lived in a small town on the Hangjiahu Plain, a fertile land in the heart of Jiangnan known for its abundant fish and rice. Therefore, my grandmother loved to drink white rice congee, and she always used glutinous rice to cook it. The congee made from glutinous rice was thick and sticky. When it boils, the kitchen fills with a sweet, fragrant mist. Listening to the sound of the white rice bubbling in the pot is like someone singing. The congee shouldn't be eaten immediately after it's off the heat. It needs to be gently steamed for a while until a thin layer of white film forms around the edges of the pot, a shiny white crust forms on the surface, and the rice becomes extremely soft, almost melting. Only then is it truly congee. Such white rice congee is naturally refreshing and delicious, like the juice made from peony, lily, and lotus root.
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