Khichdi Congee Jook Porridge

I adore congee, jook - or whatever your variation is - however simple or fancy you make it. I could eat it every single week (not day, because that's boring) and be very happy. It is just rice with some flavorings cooked with more water (and for much longer) than is standard and is served often to young children, the elderly, or just when you have a nasty flu. I have already posted a recipe for a basic jook and often add additional spices to help me feel better when I AM sick. Today, when my partner complained of feeling rather ill, I was low on rice and I decided to google "lentil jook," and boy-oh-boy, I was super into what I found.

What I found was multiple recipes for khichdi, which adds spices and lentils to the rice. Often it's prepared vegetarian/vegan, being Indian in origin, and was apparently the inspiration for kedgeree (also tasty). It's very similar to jook, but with more lentils than rice. However there are many, many versions, and some are not cooked down as much as this one. Most recipes advise toasting the spices (always a good call) but I was short on time, so I just sprinkled in some turrmeric and black pepper.


2 chicken thighs*
1 1/2 inch knob of ginger, minced
4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 cup rice
3/4 cup red lentils
4 cups water or stock
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
soy sauce or salt to taste

Throw it in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, partially covered and simmer on low-medium for 40 minutes. If desired, toast your spices in the pot first and then add the remaining items.

Azrael Abyss is into it. 

*And these things are so tweakable; that's why I love this sort of cooking. You can omit the chicken, substitute mushrooms (particularly shiitake), add lemongrass, chilies, and in the future I'll be playing around with more types of Indian spices. This was just what I had on hand today to whip up quickly for my sick partner.

Asoefetida, fenugreek, and mustard seeds are things I will be adding in subsequent makings, but I think this would be great with a pinch of garam masala or curry powder, if that's all you have!