cungee

[ALKALIZING KATIE]

I used basmati rice. Is that short grain? Does it matter? My cungee is not cooked as well as I expect after 12 hours in my thermos. Im not sure if the thermos is the problem or the type of rice?

[chickpea]

Hi Katie, it's 'congee' not cungee, !! No basmati is not the same. You need short-grain brown rice, NOT basmati. Perhaps that is the problem, I haven't used basmati to make congee so I don't really know but with the short-grain brown rice, it cooks very well and swells up a lot until very soft and mushy so is really hydrating for the bowel (even though it's tougher and chewier when you cook it the normal way in a pan).

How big is your thermos? I use a 0.5 litre one and after I've put the rice in I fill the water up to the top so there's virtually no air in there. I presume if you use a larger thermos but just fill it half way (depending on how much you want to cook) it might cool down quicker and not cook as well perhaps. Do you see what I mean?
Also make sure the lid is tightly closed.

[ALKALIZING KATIE]

Is short grain labeled on the bin? Do I get brown? My thermos is 17 ounce steal.

[chickpea]

Yes the rice should be labelled short-grain. It's a shorter and chunkier grain of rice compared to other forms. Yes get the brown. 17oz is 0.5 litre so that's ok. Mine is glass on the inside, not steel....don't know if it makes any difference.

[shelley]

congee is best for short-grain brown rice, which really needs this cooking style in order to be digestable. Basmati or any other long-grain rice doesn't really need this kind of cooking, it can be cooked regular style.

[ALKALIZING KATIE]

MAN, the rice DOES matter. I had never cooked short grain rice before. It worked like a charm

[chickpea]

Great! Hope you liked it