Healing Green Congee
Congee is a traditional chinese rice porridge usually served for breakfast .It has a silky texture and is warm rich and grounding without being to heavy. It has become one of my favorite go to meals as of late. It is a very popular dish in Traditional Chinese medicine used to harmonize digestion, protect the immune system and increase Qi (vitality). It’s very soothing and easy on digestion, making it a great dish to have on hand for cold and flu season.
During this time of year, I recommend lots of healing broths to my clients. Broths are a great way to add extra nutrients and healing herbs to your diet. Including herbs like garlic, thyme, oregano, chilies, ginger and alums are great ways to add flavour and boost our immunity. Broths are great for boosting immunity and supporting digestion but can be difficult to find ways to incorporate broth everyday. Congee is a great vehicle for getting broth into your diet while also being something rich and satisfying. You can easily use vegetable or bone broth as the base for congee but water works well too if you’re in a pinch.
Congee is so simple to make and easily adaptable to whatever ingredients you have in the fridge like spinach, squash, quinoa or other veggies . I love having it as a warming breakfast or lunch on freezing cold days in between client meetings, it’s a cozy stew that leaves me feeling energized. At home I usually make congee in my instant pot, it comes together so quickly and makes it so much easier to set and go about my day. If you don’t have access to an Instant Pot I recommend making this on the stove top or in a slow cooker for convenience.
When making congee it’s all about the toppings, which you know are my favorite part. I love adding chilli oil, chopped scallions, leftover chicken or tofu, kimchi, a soft boiled egg, literally whatever I have on hand to make this dish really shine. It’s an instant bowl of comfort for the long winter ahead. I like to add lots of chopped spinach, shredded zucchini and soft herbs like cilantro and basil to the pot right before serving to make this meal special.
Easy Green Congee
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
1 cup rice ( I typically use jasmine or short grain brown from Lundberg Farm)
2” piece of ginger, grated fine
2 cloves of garlic, grated fine
7 cups of water, vegetable or bone broth
4 cups of baby spinach, chopped finely
4 green onions chopped finely ( both white and green parts)
1-2 small zucchini, grated or sliced very thin
Optional toppings
Soya sauce or Tamari
Chili oil
Toasted sesame seeds
Nori or seaweed
Leftover chicken or tofu
Soft boiled egg
Kimchi or fermented vegetables
Thinly sliced green onions
Directions:
Place rice in a large strainer or fine colander and rinse it under cool water. The water running through the rice will usually look milky at first, rinse until water runs clear.
Add your rice, ginger, garlic and broth to your Instant Pot. Cover, seal and set to pressure cook for 30 minutes. Once the timer goes off, let pressure release slowly.
Once the pressure is released, open the lid and add in your spinach, green onion, zucchini and stir to combine. If the texture of the porridge is too loose, turn heat to low and simmer until desired consistency. If it’s too stiff, add more water and stir well until desired consistency.
Serve warm with your favorite toppings and enjoy. Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.