Congee

Congee is a savory rice porridge made by boiling rice in a large amount of water until it softens, ranging in consistency from a thick, oatmeal-like dish to a thin gruel depending on how much water is used, and it is eaten plain or topped with meat, fish, pickled vegetables, preserved eggs or other garnishes. Its Chinese name, zhou, appears in written sources dating back roughly to the Zhou dynasty around 1000 BC, making it one of the oldest continuously eaten dishes in Chinese cuisine, while its English name comes from the Tamil word kanji by way of Portuguese traders. Versions of rice porridge are eaten daily across East and Southeast Asia under many names, including okayu in Japan, juk in Korea and chao in Vietnam, and the dish serves as breakfast food, a late-night meal, a food for the sick because it is mild and easy to digest, and historically as a way to stretch limited rice supplies during famine. Congee remains one of the most widely eaten daily foods in China and across the wider region, even though it rarely appears on restaurant menus outside Asia.