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Vegan jok (Thai congee) โจ๊ก

Jok, or Thai rice porridge (congee) is a silky comfort meal that can be as over the top or uncomplicated as you'd like. This recipe includes options for a couple of toppings (mock pork and use of spent mushrooms from stock-making). You can use any stock, or even boullion. Alternatively just use salt and water.
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: Thai

Equipment

  • Instant Pot

Ingredients

Jok (rice porridge)

  • 120 grams broken jasmine rice (scant ¾ cup)
  • 4 cups stock or water (recipe below)
  • ½ teaspoon salt omit if the stock you use is not sodium free

Stock

  • 5-6 large dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 small stick celery (30 grams)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped coriander stems or ¼ packed cup if contains leaves
  • 5 large cloves garlic smashed
  • 20 grams sliced ginger
  • 8 grams kombu (small piece)
  • 15 white peppercorns broken lightly using a pestle and mortar
  • 175-200 grams daikon cut into chunks
  • 1 ½ litres water (six 250 millilitre cups)

Mushrooms

  • 5-6 used shiitake mushrooms from the stock squeezed of liquid (back into stock)
  • vegetable oil for frying
  • 100 millilitres water or above stock
  • 1 ½ teaspoons palm sugar
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon seasoning sauce
  • ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • Good grate of black pepper

Faux pork

  • 2 teaspoons chopped coriander stems
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 5 white peppercorns
  • 2 ½ tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon seasoning sauce
  • ½ teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons small TVP mince (18 grams)
  • 2 ½ tablespoons vital wheat gluten (25 grams)
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour (19 grams)
  • 2 tablespoons tapioca starch (16 grams)

Toppings

  • Thai thin soy sauce (e.g. Healthy Boy brand)
  • cup (ish) chopped coriander and/or spring onions
  • ¼-⅓ cup (ish) finely julienned ginger
  • white pepper

Additional optional toppings

  • fried garlic and the oil it was fried in
  • pa thong go (Thai style Chinese doughnut)
  • puffed fried rice noodles (mee grop)
  • fermented tofu
  • fermented mushroom sausage (naem hed)
  • toasted sesame oil
  • fried shallots and the oil they were fried in
  • pickled mustard greens
  • Vegg yolk

Instructions

Jok

  • Add broken rice, stock or water, and salt to your instant pot and set the manual option to high for 30 minutes. Cook in sealed position and allow pressure to release naturally when finished. Do not release the pressure manually unless you want rice goop splattered about your kitchen.
    Check the consistency and add more water and/or stock if desired.
    You can also cook it on the hob. To do this, add ingredients to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Knock back to a gentle simmer and cook for around an hour, stirring occasionally (be sure to scrape the bottom). For the stovetop method you will need more liquid, which you can top up as you go.

Stock

  • Add ingredients to a pot and bring to the boil. Turn down to a low simmer and cook for 45-60 minutes, covered.
    To make in instant pot: Add all ingredients and cook sealed for 20 minutes on low pressure. Natural release.
  • Allow the stock to cool a little and strain solids, reserving the stock. Save the mushrooms, which you can use in the next recipe.

Mushrooms

  • Make sure the mushrooms have been squeezed of as much liquid as possible. Heat at least 2 centimetres worth of vegetable oil for frying to a medium heat in a wok. Fry the mushrooms for 3-5 minutes, until golden. Drain on kitchen towel. When cool, slice into ½ centimetre thick pieces.
  • Allow the oil to cool and remove all but 2-3 teaspoons worth. Add remaining ingredients and bring to the boil before adding the sliced fried mushrooms. Knock down heat to a medium simmer for 5 or so minutes, until there is very little liquid remaining. The remaining sauce should be syrupy.

Faux pork

  • Set up a steamer and bring to the boil. Pop a plate inside if you have one that fill fit (otherwise some foil will do).
  • Pound coriander stems, garlic, and peppercorns into a paste using a pestle and mortar. Add water, soy sauce, seasoning sauce and oil. Give it a quick mix with the pestle.
  • Combine remaining (dry) ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix to combine. Add wet mix from mortar and mash together with your hands. It might be a shaggy dough but that’s okay. 
  • Pinch bits off into teaspoon (ish) lumps and place in the steamer. Steam for 20-30 minutes.

To assemble

  • Divide the jok between 3-4 bowls (or 2, if you're very hungry). Dash a few shakes of soy sauce over the porridge. Divide the mushrooms and faux pork between the bowls. Add a handful of chopped spring onion and/or coriander plus a generous tablespoon of finely julienned fresh ginger. Shake some white pepper on the lot and serve. Bring the soy sauce to the table so you can season it further, if need be.
    You can add any of the additional toppings too. My photo includes fermented bean curd and fried garlic and its oil (but I forgot the mushrooms).

Notes

You can also make jok from leftover steamed rice. Just use a bit less liquid and cook down to achieve the same results. This will take less time. After my gap khao supper clubs, for which I steam rice in my Instant Pot, I throw some stock back in after guests leave and leave it to slow cook overnight for an easy brekkie.
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