Congee is a rice porridge dish eaten regularly in countries around the world. Typically it is prepared by cooking a smaller amount of rice with a larger amount of water for a longer period of time. For those who can enjoy grains it is easily digestible and when combined with medicinal herbs like ginger, astragalus, or ginseng it can be used as a daily therapeutic food. Short grain white rice is used giving it a sweet flavor and neutral temperature. It generates and transforms Qi and strengthens digestion, so it is great to eat when recovering from the flu or when suffering from nausea, diarrhea, or fatigue.
Get creative and add your own vegetables, herbs, and beans. I like this recipe for the smooth creaminess of the pumpkin combined with the bitter bite of the leafy greens.
Congee Recipe
1 cup white rice
4 cups of water
1 small carrot, cut into small pieces
4 florets of cauliflower
3 tsp. turmeric
2 cups or one can pureed cooked pumpkin
1 small onion
2 Tbsp ghee or coconut oil
Bok choy or Spinach or Mustard greens or other leafy greens
Salt, added to taste
Pepper, added to taste
Tamari, Soy Sauce, Coconut Aminos or Bragg’s liquid aminos, added to taste
Preparation:
Soak rice for at least four hours before cooking. In a medium pot add the rice and water. (If you would prefer a thinner consistency then you can add more water.) Bring the mixture to a boil and add the carrot, cauliflower and turmeric powder. Simmer congee for about forty minutes or until the congee is thickened and creamy. If not soaking rice before, simmer for 1.5 hours or longer.
Fry onion until soft in ghee, then add pumpkin. Add pumpkin and onion mixture to congee, stirring gently until well combined. Cook congee for another 10 minutes before serving. Place shreds of leafy greens in bowl and top with congee. Add salt, pepper, and Tamari to taste.
