This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text. It can be eaten plain, where it is typically served with side dishes, or it can be served with ingredients such as meat, fish, seasonings and flavourings, most often savory, pan con lechon sometimes sweet.

It is typically served as a meal on its own, especially for breakfast or people who are ill. It is mentioned in the Book of Rites and noted in Pliny’s account of India circa 77 CE. To prepare the dish, rice is boiled in a large amount of water until it softens significantly. Congee can be made in a pot or in a rice cooker. Some rice cookers have a “congee” setting, allowing it to be cooked overnight. The type of rice used can be either short- or long-grain, depending on what is available and regional cultural influences.

Culture also often dictates the way congee is cooked and eaten. It is often considered particularly suitable for the sick as a mild, easily digestible food. Because of this, it is commonly served as a staple meal for patients in healthcare facilities. Thick, brown, medium textured porridge in bowl next to plate of fried tofu. While plain congee is a staple dish in China, it is called congee only in Hong Kong English but is more commonly recognised as jūk. For example, to make Cantonese congee, white rice is boiled in many times its weight in water for a long time until the rice breaks down and becomes a fairly thick, white porridge. Congees made in other regions may use different types of rice with different quantities of water, producing congees of different consistencies.