Recipe

Rice Porridge (Khao Tom)

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Photo by edamame2003

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Dirt Cheap Dinner
SwoonMySpoon's Testing Notes: I call this dish, "a big bowl of comfy and a good excuse to dig out my bottle of fish sauce from the back of the panty." The technique of double-cooking the rice gives it a creamy and rich...
I call this dish, "a big bowl of comfy and a good excuse to dig out my bottle of fish sauce from the back of the panty." The technique of double-cooking the rice gives it a creamy and rich texture (I was almost convinced that I must have added cream). The fish sauce, while a bit stinky at first whiff, transforms into a secret ingredient that elevates the dish to yum. The egg yolk coats the rice and gives it a wonderfully silky feel, while the green onion and cilantro add just the right finish. This is the first time I've had rice porridge (Khao Tom) and I’m officially a fan. It's a big bowl of comfy that won’t break the bank! - SwoonMySpoon

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Chef
edamame2003's Notes: This contest brought back memories of my days as a student living in New York. I would allow myself a budget of $1 a day for food. Sometimes that dollar would go to the hot dog vendor in...
This contest brought back memories of my days as a student living in New York. I would allow myself a budget of $1 a day for food. Sometimes that dollar would go to the hot dog vendor in front of school (that a hot dog was $1 tells you how long ago I lived in NY), other days; a pack of egg noodles, butter, salt and pepper would get me through 3 days. But there was one dish that still today costs under $1 a serving--rice porridge. There are lots of variations of this dish. Plain white rice cooked to a thick paste, eaten with pickled vegetables (congee); crushed grains of rice cooked to a stew-like consistency (jook). This is my family's favorite version--made with ground turkey or pork. I like mine topped with a poached egg. - edamame2003

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Serves 2

2 cups cooked rice (white or brown) Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 pound ground turkey or pork Ask a question about this ingredient

1 tablespoon fish sauce (more to taste) Ask a question about this ingredient

2 eggs Ask a question about this ingredient

green onion, chopped for garish Ask a question about this ingredient

cilantro, for garnish Ask a question about this ingredient

ground black pepper Ask a question about this ingredient

bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Lower to medium heat and cook the ground meat in the water for about 5 minutes, separating the meat into chunks.
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drain the meat from the boiling water and wash the pot. Add the meat and rice to the pot.
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Add enough water to just cover the rice by an inch and heat to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer for another 10 minutes for rice to soften.
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while the rice and meat are cooking, add fish sauce to taste. start with 1 Tablespoon and add more for more flavor.
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Poach the eggs in the porridge for at least 2 minutes depending on how runny you like your eggs.
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Divide into bowls and top with pepper, cilantro and chopped green onion.
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8 Comments on Rice Porridge (Khao Tom)

pipermohr added about 1 year ago

Just made it for lunch... made some minor modifications by putting in some basil and cilantro cubes (frozen from Trader Joes), added a touch of salt (but probably didn't need it), and a touch of garlic powder and ginger powder. If I had some dried lemon grass, might have tried that as well. Very tasty and simple!

edamame2003 added about 1 year ago

i love all the adds...if you used fish sauce, probably don't need salt. ginger, garlic and lemon grass--now you're talking! just add lime and you've got tom yum! i'm glad you tried it and liked it!