Jook (also known as congee) is a family affair. It’s made from the bones of the bird you ate as a family, everyone helps to cut up the giblets and scraps, and everyone takes a turn at watching the pot. At least, that’s how I was raised that it should be. Now, it is only two of us and our Fur Boi in the house. My father lives in his house with my stepmom, and my daughter lives in her house with her family, so such family-style cooking is rare these days.
I was talking on the phone with my dad this morning and I told him I would bring him jook that I had made from our Christmas bird. He was sad. “Oh, I saved all the giblets so we could make it together.” I must find pídàn, salted duck eggs, and fresh duck eggs to take in humility when I visit! Also good Scotch whisky.
Everyone I grew up around makes jook using broth, meat, and giblets to simmer the rice. I was in my 40s before I ever learned about “white jook” (congee)! My family are Nam Long from Zhongshan who began immigrating to Hawaiʻi around 1840, so our recipes date from the mid-1800s and morphed depending on what was available.
Jook
In a large stock pot or slow cooker, cook up turkey and/or chicken carcass with giblets. When the meat falls off, pick it apart and reserve in a separate bowl. Continue to cook the carcass until the bones soften. Smash them up thoroughly and continue to cook another hour or so. Strain the broth through a colander.
Add the meat and giblets minced fine, some chopped round onions, and crushed garlic to the stock. Add rice.
Continue to simmer until the rice “melts” and the jook becomes smooth and creamy, but you can still see grains.
Serve with minced chicken livers, thin slices of lup cheong, pídàn (lime-preserved egg), salt duck egg, minced mushrooms, minced scallion or spring onions, thin slices of char siu, or whatever other condiments you would like.
