Makes 4-ish servings

Notes:

A savory rice porridge that's a staple throughout Asia, congee is the ultimate comfort food and the perfect meal to make after a labor and leftover intensive, heavy feast. Nearly impossible to screw up, congee is made by simmering rice in water or stock until the rice essentially breaks down into a creamy, pudding-like consistency. Not only is congee a fool-proof recipe, it’s kind to your digestive system, and will also help you tackle your Thanksgiving leftovers: stock, roast veggies, turkey, herbs, etc., - which can all be thrown in here, even though they’re not traditional congee ingredients.

If you didn’t host Thanksgiving and/or are lacking in leftovers, this is still an easy, seasonally appropriate recipe that’s good to have in your repertoire for simple suppers or when you or someone in your fam is under the weather. You can easily use shredded rotisserie chicken instead of the turkey.

Products recs:

For congee, we like to use an Asian variety of rice - say sticky or sushi. But whatever variety you can find is fine. You can of course use brown rice instead of white, just note that a brown variety will take a bit longer to cook.

Pro tips:

If you have the time, ingredients, and inclination, you can begin this recipe by sauteeing some minced or grated garlic and ginger, a little spring onion, or a diced white and or yellow onion in a tablespoon or so of grapeseed oil.

Swaps:

If you don’t have leftover turkey, you could easily swap in some pulled rotisserie chicken, or omit the meat entirely.
If you can’t find the steamed packs of rice, use a 20 ounce bag of frozen pre-cooked rice.

Add-ons:

Thanksgiving leftovers such as roasted sweet potatoes or butternut squash (sans marshmallows, obviously), creamed corn or spinach, crispy onions, roasted Brussel sprouts or green beans, sauteed mushrooms - go wild
More traditional ingredients like halved, soft boiled/jammy eggs, chile crisp, toasted black or white sesame seeds, and some slivered radish
Another handful of nice herby greens - say microgreens, parsley or cilantro

Equipment:

Large pot or dutch oven
Spatula or wooden spoon
Cutting board
Chef’s knife

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or butter
2 x 8.8 ounce packages of cooked rice (~3.5 cups)
~2 quarts (8 cups) leftover stock or water
1 ½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon garlic granules (optional but good)
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari + more for drizzling
~3 cups leftover turkey
Toasted sesame oil (again, optional but good)
1 bunch scallions

Assembly:

Set a large pot over a medium flame, and drizzle in your grapeseed oil. When the oil is shimmering, pour in your rice and stir to coat, breaking up any clumps with a spoon.

Next, pour in your stock, tamari, salt, and garlic powder and bring the mixture to a boil. Then, turn down the heat to a medium, and let the rice simmer for 25 - 30 minutes, or until it starts to break down, and the mixture is thick and soupy like a loose porridge or risotto.

While the congee is cooking, shred your turkey: you can either do this by hand by pulling the turkey from the bone, and tearing it into bite size pieces (this is also a good task for kids). Or, pro tip: remove the skin and bones, then place the turkey in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Place the lid over the bowl, turn your stand mixer on low, and shred the turkey to your liking.

Trim the tough green and white ends from the scallions, then cut into ¼” rounds (on the diagonal if you want to get fancy).

When the congee is done, stir in your shredded turkey and allow to warm through. Season and garnish to taste.

Leftover Turkey Congee