Take Asia’s breakfast porridge, an unadorned dish of rice boiled in water or stock. The fragrance, appearance, and flavor of the rice varies according to the country. In China, it’s known as congee; in Japan, it’s okayu; in Korea, juk, and in Thailand, jok, to name but a few.
Stanhope also cooks the rice grits as a risotto, so they pour onto the plate like a polenta. And thus, at one of the finest restaurants in Charleston, a simple Southern rice porridge harkens back to a centuries old, daily Asian staple — congee — that sustained people 4,500 years ago.