RECIPE: SAVOURY RICE PORRIDGE (Congee)
This Savoury Rice Porridge recipe is warm and appetising which can help fortify the spleen and is a great meal to start your day. In Chinese Medicine we recommend eating in flow with the seasons and it is Winter, so we need to keep warm from the inside out. Congee is traditionally eaten at breakfast, its warming nature fires up the digestive system preparing it for the busy day ahead for processing food and drink.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the stomach is responsible for the assimilation and breakdown of food and is connected to the spleen which governs the transportation and transformation of this food. Their ability to work harmoniously is considered so important that energy (aka Qi) of the human body rests on the proper function of the spleen and stomach.
Depending on your choice of condiments and dressings it can be really yummy and keep you full for hours!
And best of all, it’s SO easy:
YOU WILL NEED:
- 1 cup of rice: you can use white or brown, I used biodynamic brown rice
- 10 cups water
- veggie or bone broth
- 14 shitake mushrooms
- your choice of condiments such as coconut flakes and raw honey
THE METHOD TO THE MAGIC:
1. Bring to the boil the cup of rice along with the 10 cups of water
2. You can substitute 1 cup of water for 1 cup of bone/ veggie broth
3. Simmer for 90 mins
4. Sock the shitake mushies in hot water until they are soft, then slice and throw them into the pot
5. By the end of the 90 mins, the texture should be a thick, porridge consistency
6. Congee is best with the right condiments. Top with whatever you please! My fave combo (see pic) is shallots, red chilli, sirachi hot sauce, soy sauce and peanuts.
Enjoy!