unDumbing

With two different recipes for porridge (congee), I can now alternate between them. The one I tried last year allowed for more flexibility, but the more recent one works well if I have ground beef and don’t want to think much about which toppings to include.

Below are some links to more details, including photos:

• My Story
• Inspiring Recipe
  • First Try
    • Ingredients to Use
    • Steps to Prepare
    • Time to Eat
    • Recipe Rating
  • Second Try
    • Ingredients to Use
    • Steps to Prepare
    • Time to Eat
    • Recipe Rating
• Continuous Improvement
• Lesson for Dumber Self
• Next Step for You

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My Story

A couple months ago, I saw multi-packs of Wagyu ground beef at Costco that I wanted to try, so I bought one. As a result, I had to go online to find some recipes for my purchase.

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Inspiring Recipe

One of the ground beef recipes that I found was Beef Congee from Salu Salo Recipes, a blog that I referenced for making adobo chicken wings.

First Try

With all the ingredients already at home, I was able to calculate the amount of each item needed and start on the congee recipe quickly.

Ingredients to Use

With 16 ounces of ground beef, I increased the remaining ingredients listed on the default recipe. What I ended up measuring was as follows:

1. 2 1/2 tablespoons + 1 1/3 teaspoons of olive oil
2. 1 1/2 inches of ginger, peeled and sliced
3. 1 tablespoon + 1 1/3 teaspoons of soy sauce
4. 11 ounces + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of uncooked rice, rinsed and drained
5. 14 1/2 cups + 1/2 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon of water
6. 1 chopped green onion

For the ginger, I sliced it instead of julienning it, so the pieces would be easier to remove before eating the porridge. Since the recipe didn’t specify the amount to use for the garnish, I just chopped one green onion up.

Steps to Prepare

When it came to the instructions, I made minor tweaks to three out of four of the steps, as shown below:

• Step 1 – Since I didn’t have a heavy pan that would fit everything, I used a heavy pot instead.
• Step 2 – Because I used more ground beef than was listed on the default recipe, I had to sauté it for an extra minute, totaling 5 minutes.
• Step 3 – At the start, I left the pot on medium high heat to bring the water to a boil, but it took too long, so I increased the stove to high. Also, after cooking the rice for 45 minutes, I tacked on another 5 minutes while adding the salt, so the porridge would be creamier.

Time to Eat

Here’s a bowl of garnished porridge ready to go.

Recipe Rating

Below were the results of the recipe after the first try:

# of Ingredients	Effort	$ / Serving	Try Again?
8 *

For this simple dish, I would’ve preferred a little more soy sauce and maybe more substance.

Second Try

During the second attempt, my goal was to add more flavor and texture to the congee.

Ingredients to Use

Since I used only .95 pound of ground beef this time, I decreased the remaining ingredients slightly as compared to the first try, as follows:

1. 2 1/2 tablespoons + 3/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon of avocado oil (instead of olive oil)
2. 1 1/3 inches of ginger, peeled and sliced
3. 1 tablespoon + 1 1/4 teaspoons of soy sauce (rounded up by 1/8 teaspoon)
4. 11 ounces of uncooked rice, rinsed and drained (rounded down by 3/4 teaspoon)
5. 13 cups + 6 ounces + 1 1/2 tablespoons of water
6. 1 chopped green onion
7. 4 preserved duck eggs

Because I ran out of olive oil, I used avocado oil instead. Also, in an attempt to net more flavor, I increased the soy sauce, but reduced the rice. Lastly, to make the porridge chunkier, I added preserved duck eggs.

Steps to Prepare

In comparison to what I did during the first try, there were some differences in the last three steps, as noted below:

• Step 2 – Since I had a little less beef for the second attempt, 4 minutes was the perfect amount of time to brown the meat.
• Step 3 – After bringing the water to a boil in the covered pot on high heat, I had to reduce the heat to medium low since the liquid started to overflow. Because I used a lower setting, I had to cook the porridge for an additional 5 minutes, totaling 50 minutes before adding the salt. While adding the salt, I left it simmering for an additional 3 minutes to get the congee smoother.
• Step 4 – Aside from topping the porridge with green onions, I also stirred in the duck eggs at this stage.

Time to Eat

With the minor modifications, I was curious to see if the congee had more flavor and better consistency.

Recipe Rating

Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:

# of Ingredients	Effort	$ / Serving	Try Again?
9 *

Though I didn’t notice any additional soy sauce flavor, I did spot the kick from the green onions this time. In addition, the porridge was more substantial, partially from the leaner beef (80% vs. 75% lean) that I bought for the second try. Lastly, the duck eggs added creaminess and body to the congee.

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Perhaps if I were under the weather and wanted something bland, the flavor of the porridge would be fine, but for other times, I might try the following:

Continuous Improvement

1. Double the amount of soy sauce.

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After trying the congee during the first attempt, I had a strong urge to add some preserved duck eggs, but held off. During the second attempt, I added them at the last minute. Learning from this experience, I would tell my dumber self the following:

Lesson for Dumber Self

1. Go with your gut!

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What will you do now?

Next Step for You

1. Try the recipe, Beef Congee, from a blog called Salu Salo Recipes?
2. Share your favorite beef porridge recipe?
3. Read another post on this site? (Go to the menu at the top of the page.)

It’s your choice!