Tweaked from Saveur
When I was in school for Holistic Nutrition – congee, a traditional Chinese rice porridge – was one of the only times white rice was mentioned without even a hint of derision. Congee is often made with white rice but today we’ve gone with brown.
Traditional Chinese Medicine holds that congee is exceptionally healing – particularly for the stomach, spleen and digestive system. Right about now, with the season changing and getting cooler – a bowl of this slow-cooked comfort food might be just what you need to avoid or overcome a cold.
Tip: try this for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Ingredients
1 cup long grain brown (or white) rice
4 cups organic chicken (or veggie) stock
5 cups filtered water
4 slices ginger
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
Assorted toppings for your congee. I used sautéed mushrooms, sliced radish, watercress and green onion. Add a meat or tofu of your choice (optional).
Instructions
1. Toss rice, water, chicken (or veggie) stock, whole garlic cloves and ginger slices into the slow cooker and get your slow cooker up and running. Your congee should likely cook on low for 8 to 9 hours (mine was on ‘low’ for 9 hours*). You can make congee without a slow cooker – you can cook it in a heavy-duty pot at a higher temperature for a shorter time period – an hour or so – just until you’ve got the right consistency.
2. 8 or 9 hours later (if using the slow cooker) your congee should be thick and runny – kind of a soupy consistency – and the rice nicely broken down.
3. Top with your selected toppings and serve warm!
*Depending on what time you’re getting your congee started and what time you’ll be up in the morning to check on it – you’ll want to set your slow cooker accordingly. It’s not a high-pressure situation as slow cookers cook nice n’ slow (obviously), cook evenly and are safe to leave on at long periods.
