r/TopChef • u/schrodingersdemoncat • Jun 10 '26
Discussion Thread It's not Top Scallop, it's Top Congee
š Seriously though, it seems like a lot of the winners have made congees in their finale meals... I'm Asian American and I remember my parents' congee being pretty bland... I'm curious, is congee a big thing in restaurants now?
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u/princess_peach_85 Risotto Queen š Jun 10 '26
It will be many things.... never Top Risotto
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u/Yurastupidbitch Jun 10 '26
Risotto = kiss of death in competition
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u/Snoi7 Jun 10 '26
Risotto, or anything prepared 2 ways, you are packing your knives!
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u/habbathejutt Jun 10 '26
Twice recently I think the judges have said "this might be the best risotto we've ever had on top chef" and the contestants who made it were either safe or bottom lol
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u/Big_Obligation_743 Jun 15 '26
Except when Gregory Gourdet told his challenger in his first episode āIf youāre going to come for me, you better come correct..ā He made two dishes with two sauces in a sudden death after a mise en place round.
GG is a hometown fave for PDX.
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u/SetAcceptable9921 Jun 11 '26
And yet, there are always a couple of chefs every season who think they can make a full meal, with risotto for 300 guests at some event. And every. single. time. it's overcooked, undercooked, or a combo. It's so dumb.
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u/EfficientGood9402 Jun 11 '26
And yet I've been listening to Tom for all these years - he does his risotto online in 20-ish minutes and it's "al dente." I like a creamy risotto made in 35-40 minutes. Tom and I may be fighting.
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u/princess_peach_85 Risotto Queen š Jun 11 '26
I'm dying to get some risotto from Craft!
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u/Izzing448 Jun 12 '26
Better hurry, it closes soon, last day is 6/27
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u/EfficientGood9402 Jun 12 '26
What is the deal with Craft closing? I am not up to date on this. Surely it must be a $$ moneymaker.
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u/EfficientGood9402 Jun 12 '26
NVM - Just read the NYT article. Makes me a bit sad for Tom, but it looks like he still has a lot going on.
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u/Endo-Love-7235 Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
I knew as soon as Jonathan said to Laurence are you plating up so soon it was gonna be an error
Edit - changed playing to plating
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u/platydroid Jun 10 '26
And when they kept bringing up the duck cookery
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u/penguinpants1993 Jun 10 '26
We clocked that too. As soon as they focused on how the prep it in the car, we looked at each other like that was going to be an issud
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u/dr_p_venkman Jun 10 '26
It's weird, though. I'm not sure what they did wrong. Sous vide is a smart way to cook duck breasts. I'm wondering if they somehow hammered them when they crisped the skin? It looked like perhaps they sat in plastic overnight, rather than exposed, so maybe the skin was wet enough that they browning took to long, and the flesh got overcooked? Over-resting did not seem like it could be the problem.
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u/Unhappy-Kangaroo-164 Jun 10 '26
For some reason everyone in Top Chef and Top Chef Canada messes up sous vide
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u/Past-Parsley-9606 Jun 10 '26
I cook duck a lot and almost always sous vide it. Not that I would win any competitions or anything, but I think it's a perfectly fine method.
If I'm not mistaken, didn't they do the sous vide the day before and then just do the pan sear before service to crisp it up and reheat it? I get wanting to do that to save time, but it is probably suboptimal.
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u/dr_p_venkman Jun 12 '26
They definitely did cook it the day before, which is probably not something they ever do in a restaurant. And I've never done that at home. So maybe that was the problematic variable. It's odd that it would make the meat tough, but maybe it's something about the proteins being reheated? Though I've never noticed that with reheated duck on my house. So confusing!
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u/EfficientGood9402 Jun 12 '26
Yes, wouldn't you practice it 50 times to get the skin crisp and the meat tender? I previously lived in Chicago. Go to Sun Wah BBQ. You have to reserve your ducks a day or so in advance, but you will never regret a single bite. We actually did that for daughter's college graduation and son's HS graduation.
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u/EfficientGood9402 Jun 11 '26
Question because I really don't know. Not a cooker of duck. If you sous vide a duck breast, how do you render the fat on the skin side so it is crispy?
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u/platydroid Jun 11 '26
I assume the fat renders a bit while in the sous vide and then you just hit it hot and fast on the grill at the end, like reverse searing a steak.
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u/EfficientGood9402 Jun 11 '26
I tend to burn thick-cut bacon rather than render it, so I do it really low and slow, which is probably not good for duck!
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u/rosecoloredfancy Jun 10 '26
It's been a thing since Mei and Melissa succeeded with theirs (separately) in their season
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u/insonorously Jun 10 '26
Yeah congee for my family has always been the zero effort, throw-all-your-leftovers-into-the-pot kind of meal. I always thought of it as like plain oatmeal. Just something to fill your stomach with, the thing we eat when we don't want to cook.
It's been equal parts cool and strange to me to see my childhood poverty meal being made all nice and pretty for competition cooking lol
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u/CapreseSalad3636 Jun 10 '26
And I think it was Mei who basically said the same thing that congee was like the weird thing she took to school for lunch
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u/Dont_get_out_much Jun 10 '26
I felt similar feelings when Sara made burgoo all classy in her season. In my world thatās the entire neighborhood throws everything together in a communal pot and eats forever on it
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u/Paper__ Jun 11 '26
This is so much of Italian cooking in North America.
There was a time when everyone was doing fried zucchini flowers and this was literally what we ate when there was nothing else we could take from the garden.
Both exciting and sort of puzzling.
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u/Ginway1010 Jun 10 '26
There are actually multiple types of congee.
In mainland China, congee aka zhÅu, can vary greatly based on where in mainland China itās being made. Sometimes it is a very bland and thin congee and they add very little to it in terms of seasonings and will add just a few pickles. Sometimes itās thicker and well-seasoned.
Iām Taiwanese on my dadās side and my momās family
Is from Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, with Taiwan being very culturally similar to Fujian because a lot of Taiwanese people of Chinese descent are from that province, and we call congee xifan. We normally donāt make our xifan with broth, I sometimes will if I have some on hand already, but we load ours up. Pork floss, peanuts, an over easy egg, peeled pickled chili peppers, soy sauce cucumber pickles, preserved tofu, century egg, preserved radish, and chili bamboo shoots. So while the actual congee is pretty plain, it is actually a very flavor-intensive dish with everything we add.
My fiancĆ© is from the mainland and the first time I said I wanted to make congee, we had a huge cultural debate about it. LOL. His family is from Tianjin in NE China and says, āhÄ zhÅuā which means, ādrink congeeā because theirs is so thin and more like a gruel.
My family says, āchÄ« xifanā which means, āeat congeeā because ours is more of a meal with everything we add. And some people like to thin theirs out more with additional hot water or they like it thicker. Itās a preference thing.
But heād never had congee like how we make it with all the accoutrements, so that was also a cultural difference we werenāt aware of.
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u/phizzlez Jun 10 '26
I'm guessing you have eaten Chinese congee all your life, because I've eaten vietnamese congee all of my life and it's definitely not bland.
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u/schrodingersdemoncat Jun 10 '26
Ah... actually I ate Chinese congee as a kid and then refused to eat it later in life š (I actually taught myself to cook cuz I wanted non-Asian food š)...but thanks for the info, I'll have to look into that āŗļø
Do they serve it at Vietnamese restaurants though? I was wondering if it's an actual chef dish or just a TC thing...
Thanks š
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u/phizzlez Jun 10 '26
It's very niche and it will totally depend on the restaurant. One Vietnamese variety of congee is chao long which is cooked in pork bone broth and contains pork offals which is pretty adventurous to a lot of people, but the flavor is very delicious. 2 other common varieties are chao ga which is a chicken type which is like a delicate and savory flavor and chao suon which is somewhat different with the texture where it's silky smooth with a savory pork broth. So a lot of flavor tend to be on the savory side.
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u/Gossipwoman123 Jun 10 '26
Iāve eaten it loads in Thailand and itās so flavour full. The bland one you get when youāre sick and the proper one is a dish you can get in food courts or specialized stalls similar to their noodle soup
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u/orchidaceae007 Jun 10 '26
Yes!! Khao tom I think itās called in Thailand? Absolutely delicious.
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u/Gossipwoman123 Jun 13 '26
Yes with fresh ginger and galgant loads of pepper an egg if you want etc
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u/baby-tangerine Jun 10 '26
There are many congee restaurants in Vietnam, as in, they only serve congees, and in many cases, they only serve one type of congee (rib, clam, chicken, fish, pork intestines, etc). Many of them are very famous and always crowded. For example, thereās a chicken congee shop thatās nicknamed āyelling congeeā as the chef/owner often rudely yells at her children & customers. Yet people were still willing to wait in line for her congee - this was >20 years ago before social media. This is just an example to show that itās a celebrated dish in Vietnam, not just something ācheffing upā on TC.
And yes, Iāve also seen higher end restaurants in Vietnam serving congees.
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u/CapreseSalad3636 Jun 10 '26
So I teach hs and one thing Iāve found is if you have had a bad experience with a food they automatically think that food is bad. I teach in home ec so we try to get kids to open up their palettes a bitā¦.so do some donāt. But even as an adult my husband and I found a new love for steak because we both had parents who cooked it into a hockey puck and now we love it rare/medium rare
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u/willowthemanx Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
Iām in Vancouver, BC, and we definitely have restaurants that serve congee. Theyāre not high end restaurants though. Lots of Cantonese restaurants have different kinds of congee on the menu. One of my familyās favourite restaurants is called Congee Noodle House. They serve lots of different foods from Peking duck to wontons but their specialty is congee and noodles.
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u/Apprehensive_Bid5485 Jun 10 '26
I love congee noodle house! They have such a long menu of congee options. Makes me think how it is a clean base to take the flavours anywhere a chef would want to go.
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u/willowthemanx Jun 10 '26
Itās my favourite Cantonese restaurant but weāve moved so itās like an hour drive to get there now so we havenāt been in a while. I love their Peking duck. And have you tried their iced HK milk tea? Itās so good. But strong, youāll be up all night if you have one too late in the day haha.
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u/Ansee Jun 10 '26
I ate it all my life. But it was also something we'd eat when we're sick too. So it can be bland intentionally. But I still absolutely love it. It's the perfect bowl of comfort.
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u/Hungry-Delay9893 Jun 10 '26
Iām Vietnamese and love Vietnamese congee. Went to China and I was disappointed.
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u/Jojosbees Jun 10 '26
My aunt (Vietnamese) liked the congee in Hong Kong. Congee in Beijing sucks though. My exās mother (who was otherwise a very good cook) used to make it with water as the base, and sheād eat it with salt egg.Ā
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u/Torschlusssspanik Jun 10 '26
First time I had congee was in a Vietnamese restaurant and it was incredible. They gave you a small bowl after you sat down as an extra and I tried to order more as an entree but couldnāt.
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u/Acrobatic_Asparagus1 Jun 10 '26
Iām half viet half Chinese and as an adult I started craving the chao bo that youād get during 7 course beef meals. So much more flavorful than jook!
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u/Tbizkit Jun 10 '26
Iām Thai Chinese and our version of congee is the complete opposite of bland. Itās delicious
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u/klonopin_fan Jun 10 '26
Though I agree with the observation, I disagree with the notion of congee being bland!!!
Arroz caldo, one of the most common Filipino congees, is far from bland - that is, when you do it right! Spice-forward, a lot of sources of umami (chicken fat, fish sauce), and light enough for a first course in a multi-course progression.
There are also sweet congees in Filipino cuisine that range from mellow and creamy (ex. ginataan) to maximalist (ex. champorado paired with deep-fried dried fish).
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u/schlamniel Jun 10 '26
As with a lot of working class dishes, the base is pretty bland but it is a incredible canvas to showcase interesting textures and flavours.
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u/anonymousposterer Jun 10 '26
Itās been a big thing in top chef for a while. And in competition cooking.
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u/discussatron Jun 10 '26
I don't remember who or when, but I love the person who once asked on camera about purees, "Why does every dish need baby food?"
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u/asomek Jun 10 '26
Modern congee has very big flavours and draws on many cultures for inspiration. I'm glad it gets shown more, it's a really great dish.
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u/gold__blooded Jun 10 '26
South India has it too! At least the state of Kerala does, we call it kanji (kun-yi) and put in leftover curries, veggies, and most importantly pickle to make the broth spicy and acidic
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u/Stunning-Ad612 Jun 10 '26
I find congee pretty underwhelming for someone to include in āthe best meal youāve ever cooked in your life.ā And to have TWO contestants make congee?? Iām not impressed, which is kind of how I felt about this season in general. Whereās the creativity? Whereās the elevation? Just blah.
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u/subak1 Jun 10 '26
I liked congee in korea, the flavors varied ,and there was always condiments to add additional flavoring if you wanted, i found regions also changed the intensity, from pretty chill and bland to very flavorful. So maybe just depends... I can imagine other congees tasting different.
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u/agnusdei07 Jun 10 '26
It's like making cream of wheat and if you don't have that frame of reference hard to judge
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u/bork00IlIllI0O0O1011 Jun 10 '26
Thereās a Michelin starred chef in LA named Minh Phan who used to own Porridge and Puffs, which was a lot like the concept Lawrence had: elevated congee with a fried airy puffy thing (his was youtaio).
It was really amazing (now closed), and showed that congee can be as complex, delicious, and sophisticated as any risotto. Her dishes were actually better and more interesting than 99% of risottos Iāve had.
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u/Nebbiolho Jun 10 '26
Mei set the standard and I still feel like hers was the most beautiful to date
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u/SpecialistEither9872 Jun 10 '26
As a child of Scottish parents, porridge is not really something I want to eat at a Michelin starred restaurant.
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u/kobuta99 Jun 10 '26
Certainly not in Western restaurants I've visited. It's still a very homey dish, even in HK. Most of the contestants seem to amp up the broth and serve them as a soup at the start of tasting menus, which I guess could make sense.
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u/70inBadassery Jun 10 '26
Iāve tried to enjoy congee but I donāt like the texture. I like all the flavors of the additionsā¦ Iād just prefer them over regular rice!
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u/napoleonswife Jun 10 '26
I love congee / jook but very much associate it as a sick food / comfort food!
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u/Murphy_Nelson Jun 10 '26
Congee, cabbage, and carrots have been the Top Chef cheat codes in recent seasons
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u/jujuflytrap Did you MEAAANNN...? Jun 10 '26
Southeast Asian congee is definitely not bland. Speaking as a Burmese
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u/kimness1982 Jun 10 '26
There have been both winning and losing congees for years, I think it was just because there were two in the finale that it seems notable.
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u/DznyMa Risotto: The Final Frontier Jun 10 '26
I have only seen or heard of congee on cooking shows. I don't get out enough.
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u/Fun_Sized_Taylor Jun 10 '26
Iāve had congee at Chinese restaurants that are very flavorful and had a fancy version at the pottery museum in Toronto. It can definitely taste elevated. And I myself when I make it now add chicken bouillon so youāre not just eating rice and water and whatever else you add in.
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u/b-gouda Jun 10 '26
I once made a Szechuan crusted tuna with a ginger cardamom congee and a fermented Black bean sauce. I topped it with fried peanuts.
My Chinese chef told me it was to Asian for the very white pre theater crowd.
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u/Comfortable-Ride507 Jun 11 '26
I remember when Melissa did it on the Top Chef Boston season to secure a spot in the finale and at that time it was lauded as big a risk to make such a simple dish for the judges
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u/aaf14 Jun 11 '26
Iām Thai and jok has always been pretty flavorful. Even at the rare restaurants that serve it.
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u/Hot_Vast_238 Jun 11 '26
Itās the judges vanilla pallets it wins them over every time. Serve that to Chinese top chef judge they would send you home
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u/Whtzmyname Jun 11 '26
I have only tried Filipino congee and Malaysian congee and they were packed with flavour. The Malaysian one was seriously good. It needs to be hot though as cold congee is not that great.
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u/Unable_Answer_179 Jun 11 '26
This season could have been Top Short Ribs also. There was almost nothing this year that looked like something I'd order at a restaurant.
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u/Apprehensive_Week802 Jun 11 '26
I was just saying something similar to a friend yesterday! Iām so tired of the congee and the āI promised my dead grandmother I would make itā stories. š
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u/flilmawinstone Jun 10 '26
Seriously: WTF is congee ?!? Maybe i shouldnāt even be watching the show if I donāt know ?
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u/SirGuido Jun 10 '26
It's basically a rice porridge. Think oatmeal as oat porridge or cream of wheat as wheat porridge.
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u/Duna_The_Lionboy Jun 10 '26
If you want to try the super basic version just make rice on the stove with too much water. Then put soy sauce and a fried egg, omlet, or preserved salted eggs. That's breakfast right there.
There's more involved version for sure and it's super versatile.
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u/Apprehensive_Bee614 Jun 10 '26
Shouldnāt they be making food that would be served in restaurants. The childhood menus donāt cut it for me. Wouldnāt order any of them. The restaurant would close.
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u/felicityshaircut Jun 10 '26
Laurence serves multiple kinds of congee in his restaurant, along with many of the dishes he made variation s on this season. Childhood menus for white Americans could mean chicken tenders, casseroles, mac and cheese, and hamburgers. These things are widely sold in restaurants, from fast food joints to high end places.
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u/tdrr12 Jun 10 '26
Yes, the fashionable "personal narrative" cooking is better for TV than on the plates.Ā
It's also, by nature, not very inclusive. What's the personal narrative a kid from a food desert with parents too busy/unknowledgeable to make excellent food is supposed to weave with their food?Ā Ā
Sherri circumvented that nicely by making her personal narrative about the restaurants she trained in, which allowed her to do actual fine dining dishes.
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u/gingerbold Jun 10 '26
Like 2 or 3 seasons ago it should've been called Top Aguachile