Congee at Capital Seafood - Irvine Spectrum

Jook. Porridge. Arroz caldo. Congee. Gruel. It takes on many names. A roommate made it by accident once when he put too much water in the rice cooker and we made fun of him; but when it's intentional, has bits of meat, fine juilennes of ginger, a sprinkle of scallions and is served when dark clouds dump freezing rain on every inch of the landscape, it's the kind of food you want, crave, need.

And oh how I want this now, the big pot we ordered a few weeks ago during a Capital Seafood dim sum lunch at the Irvine Spectrum. I gulped down a bowl, felt the all-enveloping sensation of the starchy goop warm me for the inside out, and promptly spun the lazy Susan back around for a second helping and a third.

If there's a secret ingredient, it has to be that ginger. It transforms what's potentially bland and boring into a substance worthy of a better name than gruel.

Capital Seafood
85 Fortune Dr Ste 329
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 788-9218
http://www.capital-seafood.com

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