Medicinal Congee : Rice Porridge Recipe
By the Acuworx Team
Woooo this is one of my favorite recipes to share! This is literally my soul food, go-to breakfast, and creative outlet. Congee or rice porridge is a very popular breakfast dish in Asian culture that can be characterized as a soupy rice dish that has various health benefits and flavors. Think…customizable... gluten free... oatmeal!..? 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.
From the Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective:
Warm cooked foods are always the best for nourishment
Easily digestible and broken- down foods are better for those with weaker constitutions
Rice boosts energy and increases strength for those who are recovering from illness
The starches released by the rice coats and nourishes the stomach and intestines, helping those with sour stomachs and acidity
For those with young kids and elderly with weaker constitution to care for I recommend eating the dish plain without many added ingredients
Plain Basic Congee
1 cup of Short grain white rice (or sushi rice)
7-10 cups of water/ bone broth/ vegetable stock
Salt to taste at the end
Step 1: Wash rice in a strainer
Step 2: Add rice and water into a large pot (2 parts water, 1 part rice)
Step 3: Boil and then simmer for 1.5 hours, stirring frequently
Step 4: Add desired ingredients and salt at the end
Step 5: Enjoy!
Customize to your liking!
Add protein: chicken, pork, beef, eggs, seafood
Add vegetables: cabbage, corn, onions, carrots, celery, pumpkin, butternut squash
Add garnishes: ginger, scallions, fried shallots, asian pickles or radish, sesame seeds
Additional tips:
There’s no right way to make congee, it’s all personal preference!
For thicker congee: use less water
For thinner congee: use more water
Tip for restaurant style congee: use a hand blender to break up the rice pieces
For Instapot: cook for 30 minutes on high pressure + natural release
For slow cookers: cook for 6-8 hours on low overnight