Duck Confit Congee (Jook)
Duck confit congee with soft boiled egg, chives, chili oil, and fried onions
Soft boiled egg, up close.
Colder weather calls for warm, comforting food. One of my favorite breakfasts of all time is congee, also known as jook, a rice porridge that is very popular in China and other Asian countries. My grandma used to make it for me when I was a child, especially when I was sick, so I have especially fond memories of congee.
This particular recipe was inspired by the congee at Onefold in Denver. It can be found on their brunch menu. I was pleasantly surprised to find such a delicious take on congee from a random brunch spot in Denver. I’ve been to Denver three times now, and I’ve gone to Onefold every single time and have ordered this dish every single time. It’s that memorable.
When Covid hit and the world went into shelter-in-place, and I started cooking most of my meals at home, I decided to take a shot at recreating the duck confit congee. I’ve tested out this recipe with both duck breast and duck confit legs, and I prefer the duck confit. Although there’s less fat, I feel like I get a lot more flavor out of the duck. Making congee is now one of my favorite weekend rituals. Beware, this does take ~5 hours to complete, but it’s totally worth the time and effort, and you can do other chores while you wait for the congee to cook.
This makes ~6-7 large bowl servings. This recipe typically makes three days’ worth of breakfast for two people.
Ingredients
4 to 4.5 quarts of water. Use less water, if you like your congee thicker, use more water, if you like it a bit more soupy. I tend to err on the watery side, so I typically put in 16-18 cups of water
1 cup of medium grain white rice. I typically use Nishiki rice.
A handful of bonito flakes, maybe 1/4 of an ounce, which is about ~10 tablespoons. This is optional but bonito flakes will give your congee more umami flavor. I currently use Muso from Japan bonito flakes.
4 chicken bouillon cubes. I typically use these Knorr chicken bouillon cubes.
3 duck legs confit. I typically get the Fabrique Délices brand from Good Eggs.
Eggs, as many as you would like. I like to add two per bowl, and I typically get organic pasture-raised eggs, but any eggs would suffice.
Salt + pepper, to taste
Umami powder (optional). I typically add a few shakes of the umami powder from Rich Table for extra umami flavor.
Toppings
Chopped chives
Fried shallots or fried onions. I prefer home-fried shallots, but if you don’t want to bother making them, French’s Crispy Fried Onions is a solid alternative
Chili oil. I’ve been using this Lanzhou chili crisp from Mister Jiu’s in San Francisco, but any chili sesame oil should work
Steps
Add the water to a large pot, and bring to a boil.
Add the bonito flakes and stir frequently.
Add the chicken bouillon cubes. Let the water boil for a couple of minutes while stirring, wait for the bouillon cubes to dissolve in the water.
Add the rice to the pot of water when the water is boiling. Reduce the heat to low. (Don’t forget to wash the rice before you cook it. Wash and rinse a few times until the water runs clear.)
Stir every 15-20 minutes for ~2 hours. The congee should start looking soupy and silky. Ultimately, you want the congee to have a silky consistency, and this comes from cooking the rice in water for a very long time. (You must add enough water initially because it won’t work if you try to add more water later on).
Around the beginning of hour three, preheat your oven to 375F. Put the duck confit legs on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for ~40 minutes. Turn the duck legs over midway through, so around 20 minutes in, turn the duck legs over to the other side. The duck confit should be a little browned and crispy at the point.
When the duck is finished roasting, remove the duck from the bones, cut the meat up into small pieces, and add the duck to the pot of congee. If you see duck fat, scoop it up, and add it to the pot. Sometimes, I also like to add the bones for extra flavor, but that’s unnecessary.
Stir in the duck and stir frequently for another 1-1.5 hours. Take a look at the consistency and see if it looks ready. At this point, you can probably serve the congee. I typically like to cook the congee for a full five hours to give the duck more time to infuse into the congee. The reason why I don’t put the duck in earlier is that I don’t want overcooked, dry duck in my congee, so I find adding it in during hour three works the best. Add salt, pepper, umami powder, to taste.
When you are almost ready to eat, make the soft boiled eggs:
Bring a small pot of water to boil
Carefully lower the eggs into the pot
Boil for 6-7 minutes
After 6-7 minutes, drain the water from the pot and place the eggs into an ice bath (a bowl of ice and water). This is the most important step!
Let the eggs cool down for a few minutes before peeling. The eggs should be easy to peel. This process should yield perfect soft boiled eggs every single time.
Place the peeled eggs in your bowls(s).
When the congee looks ready (it should be smooth and silky!), you are ready to eat. Pour the congee over the eggs. The hot congee should help warm up the soft boiled eggs a bit. Finally, add your favorite toppings! I typically like to add chopped chives, chili oil, and fried onions.
Please let me know if you try this recipe. I hope you love it as much as I do.
