Whatever cup you use to measure the rice is the same cup you use to measure the liquid. The rice cup that comes with the rice cooker is smaller compared to the U.S. standard 1 cup measuring cup
Rice to Liquid ratio:
For very thick porridge: Rice to liquid ratio is 1:7
For thick porridge: Rice to liquid ratio is 1:8
For medium-thick porridge: Rice to liquid ratio is 1:9 (not recommended if you use a rice cooker to cook a full recipe of 3/4 cup of rice, it may overflow)
For medium-thin congee: Rice to liquid ratio is 1:10 (not recommended if you use a rice cooker to cook a full recipe of 3/4 cup of rice, it will overflow)
Prepare the rice:
Just briefly rinse the rice for any impurities. You may not even need to do so because some brands have prewashed the rice Place the rice and water in a medium-large pot.
Cooking congee on the stove:
Bring the water/stock to a boil and then lower the heat and add the rice. Bring it back to a boil and then lower the heat to medium to let it gently simmer for about 25-30 minutes, stirring every now and then to prevent the rice catching at the bottom of the pot. The rice grains will slowly release more starch and get smoother and creamier starting at about 20 minutes or so
If you are adding meat like chicken, beef, pork, fish, add only after the porridge has thickened. Add them in at this point and stir until they are cooked through. Season with salt to your taste and serve immediately while the porridge is hot
The longer the porridge sits, the thicker it will get. You can always thin it out by adding more water or stock
Cooking congee with Instant Pot Pressure Cooker:
Place 1 cup of rice with the amount of water ratio you choose to use. 9 cups is a good one to start if it's your first time making it in instant pot. Less liquid is lost when you cook in Instant pot, so 9 cups of liquid is almost equivalent to 10 cups of liquid cooking on the stove
Press pressure cook and set to high pressure. Set timer to 30 minutes. When it's done cooking, release pressure naturally, which may take about 10-15 minutes
If the porridge is too thick, you can always think it out by adding more water or stock. If you want to add protein like meat or fish, turn on the saute mode and bring it to a boil and then add in the meat and cook until they are cooked through. Season with salt to your taste
Cooking congee with rice cooker:
Please note that rice cookers come in different sizes. I can only cook up to 3/4 cup of rice (using my rice cooker cup) with 7-9 cups of liquid, with 9 cups being the maximum amount of liquid using my rice cooker cup. If you use U.S. Standard measuring cup, no more than 8 cups to be on the safe side. Trying to cook more than and it may overflow when it boils. There should be a max line on your rice cooker pot to show you how much you can fill it up. Do not go over the line
Add rice and liquid to the rice cooker. Close the lid and if your rice cooker has porridge setting, use that. If not just press cook and cook for one cycle. When it's done I recommend to wait for another 10-15 minutes to see if it has thickened up to the consistency you like. The longer it sits, the thicker it gets. After that, check the consistency. If it's too thick, you can always add more liquid and stir. It should thin out to the consistency you prefer. What turns out to be watery ended up being so thick when I leave it sitting for an hour or longer. So keep that in mind
Frozen rice congee:
Place 1 cup of briefly washed rice or whatever quantity you want in a freezer-friendly bag and let it freeze for at least 6 hours (12 hours if you have the time). You can freeze several bags for future use too. Frozen rice be kept in the fridge for up to 3 months
When ready to cook, place water or stock in a medium-large pot and with the amount of water ratio you like. I use 9 cups and bring to a boil and then add the frozen rice grains (without thawing). Bring it back to a boil and lower the heat to low-medium. let it simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat until thickened to the consistency you like. Stir every now and then to prevent the rice from catching at the bottom and burn
If you are adding meat like chicken, beef, pork, fish, add only after the porridge has thickened. Add them in at this point and stir until they are cooked through. Season with salt to your taste and serve immediately while the porridge is hot
Video
Notes
1. 1 US Standard measuring cup = 187 grams rice. If you use the cup that comes with the rice cooker, it will be less than 187 grams. Mine only measures about 145 grams of rice. Use the same cup to measure the rice and the liquid.2. The longer the porridge sit, the thicker it will get. If you have leftover and need to reheat it, just add about 1/2 to 1 cup of water and it will "loosen" the porridge back to the consistency you like