Begin your morning with a bowl of Thai Jok, a warm and flavorful rice congee beloved by Thai people and a staple in Thai cuisine. This traditional breakfast food is comforting and incredibly versatile, offering endless ways to customize based on your choice of meat and personal preference.
Growing up in Thailand, Jok was a regular part of my mornings, lovingly made by my mom. My most recent memory of Jok was during my last breakfast with my Surin family before returning to the US—my sister-in-law made a big pot for all of us to share as a parting meal.
For more comforting Thai dishes, try Khao Tom, another variation of Thai rice porridge, or explore these flavorful Thai soups: winter melon soup, Thai boat noodle soup, Gaeng Jeud Woonsen glass noodle soup, stuffed bitter melon soup, and Thai wonton soup.
Jump to:
- Start Your Day with Thai Jok
- What is Thai Jok?
- Why You’ll Love Thai Jok
- Ingredients for Thai Jok Recipe
- Garnishes for Jok
- How to Make Jok
- How to Serve Jok
- How to Make Coddled Eggs
- Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Thai Jok
- Variations and Substitutes
- Storage
- Try These Popular Dishes
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Jok Thai Pork Rice Porridge
- More Thai Soups You'll Love
Start Your Day with Thai Jok
For Thai people, Jok is more than just a meal—it’s a dish deeply tied to childhood memories. Many are introduced to Jok as puréed rice with light seasoning, making it a lifelong comfort food. It’s also a beloved street food, often served with coddled eggs, Patongko (Chinese donuts), a small condiment bowl on the side, and hot tea to finish the meal.
Jok is also a popular breakfast food sold at street stalls across Thailand. My favorite comes from a stall in my hometown market in Surin—my favorite market in the world. The vendors have been perfecting this dish for years, and every time I visit, it’s a must-have.
What is Thai Jok?
One of the most popular types of Thai soup is Thai Jok, a creamy rice porridge made by simmering broken rice in a seasoned broth until smooth. It’s often compared to chicken noodle soup in its ability to comfort and nourish. With its simple base, Jok can be customized with a choice of meat, from pork to chicken or even seafood, making it adaptable to any personal preference.
Why You’ll Love Thai Jok
- The Ultimate Comfort Food: Warm, nourishing, and perfect for cozy mornings.
- Customizable: Choose your favorite meat or toppings to suit your personal taste.
- Simple and Foolproof: Easy to make and hard to mess up—it’s satisfying every time.
Ingredients for Thai Jok Recipe
These ingredients combine to make a flavorful and comforting bowl of Thai jok, perfect for customizing to your taste!
- Uncooked Broken Rice: The base of the congee, creating its soft, creamy texture. Broken rice is fractured rice grains from the milling process, often softer and creamier when cooked. It's popular in Southeast Asian dishes like congee or Jok, where its texture absorbs flavors beautifully.
- Water or Chicken Stock/Broth: Used to cook the rice until it reaches a smooth, porridge-like consistency.
- Garlic, Cilantro Stems (or Coriander Root), and White Peppercorns: A classic Thai seasoning paste that adds mild heat and depth to the congee.
- Ground Pork: Adds protein and flavor. You can substitute with ground chicken, turkey, beef, or shrimp to suit your preference.
- Thai oyster Sauce: Enhances the umami of the meatballs cooked with the rice.
- Thai Fish Sauce: Seasons both the ground pork and the congee, boosting its savory taste.
- Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce: Adds extra flavor. You can substitute with Maggi sauce if needed.
Garnishes for Jok
- Fried garlic and garlic oil, green onions, cilantro, fresh ginger, ground white pepper, chili vinegar-Prik Nam Som, or chili flakes.
- Coddled Egg: A gently cooked egg with a soft white and slightly runny yolk, adding creamy protein to the congee. If coddling isn’t your style, a soft-boiled egg works just as well.
How to Make Jok
Step 1: Cook the Rice. Combine broken rice, water or broth, and salt in a large pot or soup pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. For jasmine rice, cook for an extra 10-12 minutes to soften the rice grains into a porridge consistency or coarse puree. Note. Rice the rice 3-4 times to remove some of the starchiness.
Step 2: Make the Sam Gler Seasoning Paste. Pound garlic, cilantro stems, and white peppercorns into a rough paste using a mortar and pestle. If using pre-ground peppercorns, mix everything in a small plastic bag or a small condiment bowl.
Step 3: Prepare the Pork Meatballs. Combine ground pork, half of the Sam Gler seasoning paste from step 1, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth. You can use a food processor to make a finer dumpling mixture. Scoop teaspoons of the pork mixture into your palms and roll into meatballs. For less effort, roll into larger pieces.
Step 4: Add the Seasoning and the Meatballs. Add the meatballs to the pot and season with the rest of the Sam Gler paste (step 1), fish sauce, oyster sauce, and Golden Mountain seasoning sauce (or soy sauce). Simmer for another 10 minutes, checking the liquid and adding more water if needed to maintain the consistency.
How to Serve Jok
Ladle the hot rice porridge into bowls. Top your bowl of Jok with fried garlic, garlic oil, green onions, fresh cilantro, and julienned ginger. Add a coddled egg or soft-boiled egg for extra richness. Serve with soy sauce, fish sauce, or chili oil in small condiment bowls for extra seasoning.
How to Make Coddled Eggs
Place a raw egg in a small ramekin, then set the ramekin in a bowl of hot water (about 2-3 cups). Let it sit until the egg whites are soft and the yolk is slightly runny—perfect for topping a bowl of Jok.
Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Thai Jok
- Rice Choice: Broken rice is traditional, but jasmine rice offers an aromatic and soft texture. Leftover rice is a quicker option. Jasmine rice will have a longer cooking time, so add about 10-15 more until you get a soft-textured puree rice.
- Adjusting Thickness: Add more water or broth if the congee becomes too thick during cooking.
- Stirring: Stir regularly during cooking to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Base of Rice Porridge: Use broken rice or jasmine rice to achieve the perfect texture of the rice. Broken rice cooks quickly and creates a smooth, porridge consistency, while jasmine rice takes a bit longer to reach a coarse puree.
- Choice of Protein: Ground pork for meatballs is traditional, but chicken, shrimp, or baby pork ribs can be used for variety.
- Broth and Liquid: Cook the rice using chicken broth, soup stock, or water as the base.
Variations and Substitutes
- Protein: Substitute ground pork with baby pork ribs or leftover meat. Use the liquid from boiling ribs as your soup stock.
- Rice: Long-grain rice can replace broken rice for a similar result.
Storage
Jok doesn’t keep well for the next day as the rice grains absorb the liquid and thicken. Freeze leftovers immediately while still loose, and reheat gently with ½ cup of water or broth to restore the porridge consistency.
Try These Popular Dishes
- Thai stir-fried chili basil with chicken
- Pad See Ew
- Thai papaya salad
- Pad Thai
- Moo Ping, Thai pork skewer
- Pad Kra Pao Moo Grob
Frequently Asked Questions
Congee and juk are both terms used to describe rice porridge in Asian cuisine, with juk being the Korean term and congee commonly used in Chinese cuisine.
Rice porridge and congee are often used interchangeably to refer to the same dish: a savory rice-based soup or porridge.
Yes, congee is commonly eaten for breakfast in many Asian countries, including Thailand, where it is known as Thai Jok.
Congee is a popular breakfast dish in various Asian countries, including China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Korea.
A typical Thai breakfast may include dishes such as Thai Jok (rice congee), Khao Tom (rice soup), Khao Neow Moo Ping (grilled pork skewers with sticky rice), or Patongo (deep-fried dough sticks served with sweetened condensed milk).
Jok Thai Pork Rice Porridge
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Low Lactose
Description
Begin your morning with a bowl of Thai Jok, a warm and flavorful rice congee beloved by Thai people and a staple in Thai cuisine. This traditional breakfast food is comforting and incredibly versatile, offering endless ways to customize based on your choice of meat and personal preference.
Ingredients
The Rice Porridge
- 1 cup uncooked broken rice or Jasmine rice.
- 10 cups water or unsalted or lightly salted chicken stock/broth
- 3 tablespoons Golden Mountain seasoning sauce. Using Maggy sauce as a substitute is fine.
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Half of the Samgler Paste (about 1.5 tablespoons). See below.
Samgler Paste
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon cilantro stems (or 1 coriander root),
- 1 teaspoon white peppercorns. Add more or use less as preferred.
The Pork Meatballs
- ½ pound ground pork. Use ground chicken, turkey, beef, or shrimp to suit your preference.
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon Golden Mountain seasoning sauce. Or use Maggi sauce.
Garnishes
Use as needed!
- Fried garlic and garlic oil, green onions, cilantro, fresh ginger, ground white pepper, chili vinegar-Prik Nam Som, or chili flakes.
- Coddled Egg: A gently cooked egg with a soft white and slightly runny yolk, adding creamy protein to the congee. If coddling isn’t your style, a soft-boiled egg works just as well.
Instructions
- Step 1: Cook the Rice. Combine broken rice, water or broth, and salt in a large pot or soup pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. For jasmine rice, cook for an extra 10-12 minutes to soften the rice grains into a porridge consistency or coarse puree. Note. Rice the rice 3-4 times to remove some of the starchiness.
- Step 2: Make the Sam Gler Seasoning Paste. Pound garlic, cilantro stems, and white peppercorns into a rough paste using a mortar and pestle. If using pre-ground peppercorns, mix everything in a small plastic bag or a small condiment bowl.
- Step 3: Prepare the Pork Meatballs. Combine ground pork, half of the Sam Gler seasoning paste from step 1, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth. You can use a food processor to make a finer dumpling mixture. Scoop teaspoons of the pork mixture into your palms and roll into meatballs. For less effort, roll into larger pieces.
- Step 4: Add the Seasoning and the Meatballs. Add the meatballs to the pot and season with the rest of the Sam Gler paste (step 1), fish sauce, oyster sauce, and Golden Mountain seasoning sauce (or soy sauce). Simmer for another 10 minutes, checking the liquid and adding more water if needed to maintain the consistency.
Notes
- Rice Choice: Broken rice is traditional, but jasmine rice offers an aromatic and soft texture. Leftover rice is a quicker option. Jasmine rice will have a longer cooking time, so add about 10-15 more until you get a soft-textured puree rice.
- Adjusting Thickness: Add more water or broth if the congee becomes too thick during cooking.
- Stirring: Stir regularly during cooking to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Base of Rice Porridge: Use broken rice or jasmine rice to achieve the perfect texture of the rice. Broken rice cooks quickly and creates a smooth, porridge consistency, while jasmine rice takes a bit longer to reach a coarse puree.
- Choice of Protein: Ground pork for meatballs is traditional, but chicken, shrimp, or baby pork ribs can be used for variety.
- Broth and Liquid: Cook the rice using chicken broth, soup stock, or water as the base.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Soups
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Thai
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Suwanee says
Aww, thank you! Yes, save time by doing chunks! I often do too when I'm not shooting for pretty photos. (; I love that Jok can be made once and eaten for several meals and days!
Alice Koh says
You're my favorite chef ❤️ I love making porridge and recently made one using this recipe with chicken. I didn't make them into balls, just threw small chunks into the porridge. The garnishes were bomb! I made enough for 2 days.
Anna J says
This is warm cozy and comforting…I really like oatmeal/cream of wheat and eggs in the morning so this is a yummy way to combine some breakfast tastes. The egg over the top is just perfect…and seems to really bring all the flavors together.
Ongjung says
I love this rice soup and healthy. Thank you for your best recipe.