Roasting a turkey? Don’t throw away the carcass! Do what my mom has done for years and cook jook, aka congee. Call it what you want, this rice porridge hits the spot on a chilly day. It’s a humble dish, but it is amazing.
If you’ve never made jook, it’s super easy. Pull out a big stock pot and throw in the turkey bones, a lot of water and some rice. Bring the mixture to a boil and then let it simmer away. After several hours, you will end up with the most creamy and comforting gruel you’ve ever tasted. Ladle the jook in a bowl and eat it as is or top it with your favorite fixings, like soy sauce, scallions and pan-fried lap cheong, and dig in.
Recipe adapted from SFGate.
Turkey Jook
Makes 3 quarts
Ingredients
- 1 turkey carcass, with some meat and skin
- 4 quarts cold water
- 1 cup brown jasmine rice
- ½ cup short-grain white rice
- 4 slices peeled fresh ginger, smashed
- 3 stalks scallions
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
Toppings:
- soy sauce
- scallions, thinly sliced
- lap cheong, thinly sliced and pan fried
- fried shallots (see notes)
- pickled cucumbers in soy sauce
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Remove excess skin from the turkey carcass but leave on any browned, crispy pieces for additional flavor. Break carcass in half and place in a large stock pot. Add cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, skimming off any scum that rises to the top. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs clear. Add the rice to the pot and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add the ginger and scallions. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 2½ hours, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching as the jook thickens.
- Remove the carcass and skin from the jook. Remove the meat from the bones, shred any large pieces into bite-size morsels and return them to the pot. Discard the bones and skin.
- Add the salt and simmer for 15 minutes or until the jook reaches desired consistency.
- Serve with toppings of choice.
Notes
An easy way to make "fried" shallots is to microwave them. Peel and thinly slice 1-2 shallots. Put the sliced shallots in a small microwavable bowl and add enough vegetable oil to almost cover them. Microwave for 1 minute. Microwave for an additional 1-2 minutes, checking every 30 seconds. When the shallots are golden brown, transfer them to a paper-lined platter to drain.
This looks so good. I like making jook for my children, who are Chinese. I make it every time they are sick. It is the ultimate comfort food! When we were in China adopting our children, we saw that it was ubiquitous – like oatmeal is here. I like how you used turkey bones for your broth. Yummy! Thanks for a great recipe. It’s one I will have to try. -Kim
Thanks, Kim! My mom made jook when my brother or I got sick as kids, too! It’s the perfect cure-all.
Just like Baw Baw used to make!
Yes – so comforting!