Congee, Porridge & Oats · Chinese home cooking
Tomato Potato and Chicken Congee
Tomato and potato simmer until both melt into an orange, slightly thick broth, while chicken is poached whole and shredded at the end; the bowl lands between a soup and a soft porridge.
About this dish
Make this with one tomato, one potato and a single chicken thigh. Potato does the thickening, breaking down at the edges until the broth turns velvety without dairy; tomato lends a soft acidity that keeps the starch from tasting heavy. Chicken is poached in the same pot, then pulled apart so the shreds stay visible. Listen for the change as the potato dissolves: thin bubbling gives way to a slower, thicker plop. The colour is a muted orange, and the smell is ginger and warm rice, not raw tomato.
Before you start
Equipment: Pot. Tap the ingredient checkboxes as you go.
Method
7 steps · tick each one off as you finish it.
Soften the aromatics
Warm 2 tbsp oil and 12 g minced ginger in a pot over medium heat for 60 seconds. Look for this: the ginger turns fragrant and a faint sizzle sounds around the edges of the pan.
Cook the tomato
Add 300 g tomato chunks and 1 tsp salt, keeping the heat at medium for 8 minutes as you crush them with a spoon. The cue is simple: a loose red sauce forms and the raw tomato smell has gone.
Rice, potato and water
Pour in 1700 ml cold water with 200 g rice and 250 g potato cubes, then bring it up over high heat for 10 minutes. It is done when wide bubbles roll across the surface and the potato no longer sits on the base.
Simmer low
Lower the heat, set the lid ajar and cook the 250 g potato for 28 minutes, stirring from the bottom every 10 minutes. You will know it is right when the potato edges have frayed and the broth has turned a thick orange.
Poach the chicken
Slide in 250 g chicken thigh and keep the heat low for 12 minutes. Wait until the surface has turned uniformly pale and a skewer passes through the thickest part without any resistance.
Shred and season
Lift the chicken out, rest it off the heat for 3 minutes, then pull 250 g of shreds apart and return them with 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp white pepper. The moment to move on is when the shreds look glossy.
Serve
Fold 70 g scallions and 2 tbsp parsley through off the heat for 30 seconds, then ladle into four bowls within 2 minutes. It is right when the herbs stay bright and the surface holds a spoon's trail.
Tips that matter
- Cut the potato into even 2 cm cubes; smaller pieces vanish entirely and leave no distinct bite against the softer rice.
- If the tomato is out of season and tastes sharp, add 1/2 tsp sugar with the salt rather than more vinegar or soy.
Easy variations
- Swap the parsley for 2 tbsp torn basil and add it off the heat for a sweeter, almost anise-like finish.
- Stir 60 g sweetcorn in with the rice for extra sweetness and small yellow flecks through the orange broth.
Questions that come up
Why is the congee gluey rather than velvety?
The heat was too high once the potato went in. Keep it at a bare simmer with the lid ajar, and stir from the bottom every 10 minutes so the starch releases slowly instead of seizing.
Can I use chicken breast?
Yes, but cut the poach to 8 minutes and check early; breast has less fat and turns dry quickly. Thigh stays moist through the full 12 minutes and gives a softer shred.
Nutrition, roughly
| Energy | 355 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 20 g |
| Carbohydrate | 52 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
Estimated per serving from standard ingredients, rounded. Treat it as a guide, not clinical data.
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