Name: Basic Congee
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Ingredients: 1 cup of rice longer grain like jasmine rice or 50/50 - long grain/short grain); 8 cups of water or broth; Salt to taste

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This will be a series of posts where we look at different foods that are especially good in times when your body experiences a little extra stress. First up: Best Foods For Healing And Recovery – Congee

What is Congee?

A very popular dish in Asian culture. Warm, comforting, nourishing, easy to digest, a genuine powerhouse when made with broth, soft and creamy rice porridge. Perfect for any day as a breakfast, side dish or main dish with a variety of delicious toppings. With endless variations.

Why is congee healthy?

Very easy to digest
Anti-inflamatory
Gut healing
Good energy source
High in moisture
Nutrient dense, especially when made with broth
Coats the digestive tract
Helps with recovery from diarrhoea, colds, stomach viruses, post operations, etc.

Different rice and which is best to use in congee?

Traditionally Jasmine rice was used, but any combination long and short grain can work, you will just adjust the fluid and cooking time until you get to the exact consistency and taste that you like.

I like and recommend a ratio of 50% short grain or sticky rice (like sushi rice) and 50% longer grain (like Basmati or Jasmine).

A nice variation is adding a little black or brown rice to the mix, it adds extra nutrients, a nutty flavour and an interesting colour variation.

Why is it important to wash rice before cooking?

Wash off any dirt
Wash away excess starch

Is Risotto the same as congee?

The history is very different, but the method of cooking with high amounts of fluid over a long time to have a smooth and creamy result is the same.

Can I eat congee every day?

As part of a balanced diet it is very good to include congee every day. Especially for children who are picky eaters and elderly who have difficulty eating. Make the congee with chicken or beef broth and top with their favourite toppings. Eat it as a porridge or a side.

Best Foods For Healing And Recovery – Congee Basic Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup of rice (all short grain/sticky rice or 50/50 – long grain/short grain)
8 cups of water or broth
Salt to taste

Instructions

Wash rice under running water in a strainer until water runs clear.
Put it in a medium size pot with liquid of choice.
Cook on medium without lid, stirring occasionally, adding liquid when necessary, at least for 45min or until desired consistency.
If you want to stop cooking but it starts to dry and stick to the bottom of the pot, just add a little water and let sit with a closed lid for 10min.

Optional Ingredients

Protein: cooked, deboned chicken, pork, beef, eggs or seafood.
Vegetables: cooked, roasted or steamed; carrots, cabbage, pumpkin, corn, beets.
Garnishes: ginger, pickles, onions, sesame seeds.

Notes

For variation or even higher nutrient density use brown rice, oats, barley, millet or sorghum in stead of rice.

There are no actual rule on how to make congee. These are general guidelines just to get you started, now you can play around with different rice varieties, toppings, etc.

Printable Version

Basic Congee

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup of rice longer grain like jasmine rice or 50/50 - long grain/short grain)
8 cups of water or broth
Salt to taste

Instructions

Wash rice under running water in a strainer until water runs clear.
Put it in a medium size pot with liquid of choice.
Cook on medium without lid, stirring occasionally, adding liquid if necessary, at least for 45min or until desired consistency.
If you want to stop cooking but it starts to dry and stick to the bottom of the pot, just add a little water and let sit with a closed lid for 10min.

Notes

For variation or even higher nutrient density use brown rice, oats, barley, millet or sorghum in stead of rice.

Best Foods For Healing And Recovery – Congee Variations

Savoury cooked with broth

Cook rice with a chicken, beef or seafood broth or even a vegetable stock. Then add your favourite toppings like roasted, deboned chicken or steak with garnishes of pickled onions and sesame seeds. Delicious!

Sweet stewed fruit and nuts

To 1 cup of rice, add 1 cup of your choice of dried fruits like apples, bananas, dates, mango, peach, etc. And nuts and seeds like almonds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, etc. Cook as normal, making sure that it does not stick to the bottom of your pot.

To serve add a drizzle of honey or your choice of sweetener.

As porridge

Another sweet version. Cook rice with water until fairly soft. Take off the heat. Prepare toppings like bananas, toasted almonds, almond butter and your favourite jam. Plate up the congee and add the toppings. This will be so satisfying on a early morning!

Add grass fed butter

The easiest way to add a wonderful flavour and aroma to your congee is to stir in a tablespoon of butter right before serving. Give it 5minutes to absorb and plate up!

Millet, sorghum, barley

Want to add even more nutrients? Make your congee with millet, sorghum or barley. This will effect the taste and texture, but will be equally as satisfying and will boost your nutrient intake even more.

Breakfast ideas

Think crispy bacon bits, fried egg and scallions on top. Yummy!!!

Milk

Add milk at the very last few minutes of cooking and just bring it up to a boil and then take off the heat. Let sit for 5 minutes with a closed lid so it can absorb the milk completely. When the milk boils for too long it will effect the texture of the congee.

What does others have to say?

“Basically, it’s simple, nourishing, healing and delicious! It’s great for when you have the common cold, hangovers, food poisoning or a stomach virus. From a Chinese medical perspective, I highly recommend this dish to those who have acid reflux, IBS, Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, Celiac’s disease and other digestive autoimmune conditions.”

Acuworx Team – full article