Your don’t need to be under the weather—or chilled by the weather—to savor a good bowl of jook, especially with the countless options in Honolulu. From simmering Chinese congee with pork and century-old egg to a Vietnamese version brimming with beef, herbs and a fried egg, rice porridge sheds its bland reputation with bold options. Here are eight of our faves.
Aloha Manapua
This is our hidden gem of jook. Tucked in Mānoa Marketplace, Island Manapua may be more well known for its dim sum, roast pork and of course, manapua. But they also make a delicious turkey jook ($9.95), which tastes like what your mom makes the day after Thanksgiving, with chunks of roasted turkey.
2752 Woodlawn Drive, (808) 988-5441, alohamanapua.com, @alohamanapua
Golden Duck
Frolic contributor Melissa Chang describes this congee—the pork and preserved egg ($13,99) is her favorite—as “simple, and relatively cheap. And they have the 100-year-old egg (pidan), which I always want in my jook. Whenever I get sick, and if I’m mobile, I go there.”
1221 S. King St., (808) 597-8088, goldenduckchinese.com, @goldenduckchinese
Golden Eagle
HONOLULU’s Andrea Lee says the jook here—she gets the pork and century egg too ($14.99)—is savory and smooth, not too thick or watery and with generous portions of meat and egg…