Chicken Jok (Thai Rice Porridge)

1Preparation

1. Rinse the rice twice in water and drain it well.
2. Crush the rinsed rice lightly in a mortar, or pulse it for a few seconds in a blender, until the grains break into halves and quarters.
3. Mix the minced chicken with the soy sauce, crushed garlic, white pepper and 2 tbsp water, and work it for a minute until sticky and cohesive.
4. Cut the ginger, garlic, green onion and coriander for serving and put each in a small bowl.

2Cooking

1. Put the rice, stock, water and ginger slices in a large pot and bring to the boil.

   🔥 high heat⏱ 10 min timer
2. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring from the bottom every 5 minutes, until the grains break down and the porridge is smooth and creamy.

   🔥 low heat⏱ 55 min timer
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small pan and fry the sliced garlic, stirring, until light golden, then lift it straight onto kitchen paper.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 4 min timer
4. Raise the heat under the porridge a little and drop in small balls of the chicken mixture with a teaspoon; cook until they float and are white all the way through.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 6 min timer
5. Taste and add salt; if the porridge is too thick, add a little hot water until it pours slowly from the ladle.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 1 min timer
6. Crack the eggs over the porridge, spaced apart, and cover the pot until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft.

   🔥 low heat⏱ 4 min timer

3Serving

1. Ladle the porridge and chicken balls into deep bowls with one egg in each.
2. Top with ginger matchsticks, fried garlic, green onion, coriander, a pinch of white pepper and a few drops of soy sauce.

💡 Tips & common mistakes

• Common mistake: leaving the porridge unstirred, so the rice sticks to the bottom and burns. Stir from the bottom regularly, especially in the last 20 minutes.
• The porridge thickens as it cools, so leave it a little thinner than you want when you turn off the heat.
• Breaking the rice before cooking saves time and gives jok its well-known silky texture.

🔁 Substitutions

• Chicken stock: water with a chicken stock cube.
• Minced chicken: chicken breast finely chopped with a knife.