When I think of comfort food, I think of cháo, otherwise known as congee: a rice porridge. Cháo has historically been a dish during times of famine or hardship in order to ration portions of rice. My mom used to make cháo for me when I was younger for cold days or sick days. I look back and think about all of the days I went home sick from school and wake up to smell a delicious bowl of cháo in front of me.

With Thanksgiving come and gone, colder weather is quickly approaching. As I write this, I am quite literally watching some sideways wind-snow action out my window, and it is dreary. What better way to use the leftover turkey than to turn it into a comforting, warming bowl of congee?

Turkey Cháo (Congee)

Time: 2 hours | Yield: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

Turkey carcass; turkey meat (shredded)
1 and 1/2 cups of white rice
9 cups of water
(if available) Leftover Onion Stem (or “onion butt” as I like to call it)
(if available) Leftover Celery Stalks
(if available) Leftover Carrot Stems
Dash of sesame oil
Salt & Pepper
Chopped cilantro and scallions (optional)
Fish Sauce (optional)

Preparation:

Separate turkey meat and bones on turkey carcass, set aside
In a large stockpot, place turkey bones, and (if available) onions, celery, and carrots.
Season with a pinch of salt, and if it is your preference, some fish sauce for extra umami (I like to add about 10 drops/2 tsp)
Pour in 9 cups of water, or enough water until completely covering carcass in stockpot. Bring to boil
Add 1 and a half cups of white rice and reduce heat to low to allow cháo to simmer. Leave partially covered
Stir cháo occasionally and leave on low heat for about 1.5 hours (2 hours if you prefer your porridge on the thicker consistency - this will allow the broth to reduce further). If you prefer thinner congee, stir in hot water a few tablespoons at a time
Ladle cháo into individual bowls and top with shredded turkey meat, a dash of sesame oil, and if preferred (or available) scallions and cilantro and enjoy!

Other common toppings are ginger, red onion, peanuts, and white pepper. As I had limited supplies to work with in my fridge, I had some stems and few leaves of cilantro I chopped, and I medium-boiled an egg. This was intended to be a soft-boil egg, but I was multi-tasking and ended up slightly overcooking the egg. Oops! It was still a delicious bowl!