SouthernTurk
Unusual recipes for curious cooks.
https://www.southernturk.versust.com/recipe/congee-crisis-the-10-minute-version
Printed August 31, 2026
Printed August 31, 2026
Dorm Room Feast
Congee Crisis: The 10-Minute Version
Traditional congee takes hours of patient simmering. You have a microwave and instant oatmeal. Sometimes fusion is born from limitation, and this ginger-scallion rice porridge proves it.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup instant oatmeal (plain, unflavored)
- 3 tablespoons cooked rice or 1 tablespoon rice flour
- 1 cup hot water or broth
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped scallions or any green onion
- Soft-boiled egg or leftover rotisserie chicken (optional)
- Chili oil for serving (optional)
Preparation
Real congee requires time, patience, and probably a grandmother who knows what she's doing. You have none of these things. You do, however, have the desperate ingenuity of someone who refuses to walk to the dining hall in the rain.
This hack uses instant oatmeal to mimic the creamy, porridge-like texture of rice congee, with actual rice added for authenticity. It's not traditional, but it works, and that's what matters at 11 PM on a Tuesday.
Instructions
- Combine the instant oatmeal and cooked rice (or rice flour) in your mug.
- Pour the hot water or broth over the mixture and stir well.
- Add the ginger and soy sauce, stirring to combine.
- Microwave on high for 1 minute, then stir. The mixture should be thick and porridge-like.
- Microwave for another 30-45 seconds if needed, until you reach your desired consistency.
- Stir in the sesame oil and top with scallions.
- If you're adding protein, place it on top now. A jammy egg yolk breaking into the porridge is life-changing.
- Drizzle with chili oil if you want heat. Eat while contemplating how you've just made something that actually resembles real food.
