I grew up eating turkey jook (or congee or porridge) for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving. After our Thanksgiving dinner was cleared and put away, my mom would remove all the meat from the turkey carcass and then make jook, a mixture of stock and rice cooked to a porridge-y consistency.

The best part about the jook, though was the garnishes. Once it was done, she would ladle it into bowls and then we would top our soup from the array of garnishes she would set out. We'd have mustardy soy sauce to drizzle on top (Coleman's dry mustard reconstituted with water and combined with Chinese soy sauce), toasted sesame oil, shredded lettuce, sliced green onions, chopped cilantro leaves, and preserved duck egg. I didn't cook the turkey this year so we didn't have jook.  Somehow it's just not Thanksgiving without it.

TURKEY JOOK (recipe adapted from the San Francisco Chronicle)

INGREDIENTS:

1 turkey carcass
1 lup cheong (Chinese sausage), optional (available at Chinese markets
4 quarts cold water
1 cup short-grain rice
1/2 cup glutinous rice (if unavailable, substitute additional rice)
4 slices of peeled fresh ginger, about the size of a quarter, smashed
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste


Garnishes:

Mustard (or regular) soy sauce or chili oil
Shredded iceberg or green leaf lettuce
Sliced (on the bias) green onions
Cilantro leaves
Asian sesame oil
Preserved duck eggs (available at Chinese markets)

(recipe continues)
 INSTRUCTIONS:

Remove excess skin and fat from the carcass but leave any browned, crispy pieces for additional flavor. To help fit the carcass into a pot, cut it in half, breaking it across the backbone along the ribs. Stuff any leftover wingtips and bones into the backend half; stuff the back half into the ribcage. Place both halves and lup cheong in a large stockpot and add the cold water to generously cover. Bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, skimming the scum that rises to the top. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, rinse the rice well in several changes of water until water runs clear. Add the rice to the pot. Bring back to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add the ginger. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. (Low heat and stirring are important to avoid scorching as the jook thickens.) Remove the carcass from the jook, discarding bones and skin. Shred any large pieces of meat or cut into bite- size pieces and return to the soup. Remove lup cheong and either discard or chop and add to the soup. Add the salt to taste and simmer for about 30 minutes, until desired consistency is reached or add water for a thinner consistency.

Makes about 3 quarts