Congee – nourishing and therapeutic.

Congee is a rice based porridge that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and is praised for its therapeutic value by traditional Chinese medicine. It’s very easy to make and stretches a little bit of rice a long way.

This congee is made with short grain rice. Short grain rice provides an abundance of starches necessary to produce a silky smooth porridge. Using brown rice will give the congee a nutty flavour. Congee is a perfect carrier for all kinds of flavourful toppings. I had mine with black sesame seeds and fried onions, but everything is allowed: pork belly, peanuts, vegetables, whatever you like! Makes four servings.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup short grain brown rice

• 3 cups water

• 1 cup vegetable broth

• ground ginger

• spring onions

Method

1. Wash the rice well and combine together with the water, ground ginger, and vegetable broth in a medium saucepan.

2. Bring the rice to a boil. Turn down to a low simmer and cook for about 2,5 hours, stirring occasionally.

3. Keep an eye on your rice. As soon as the starches start breaking down, there will be more chance of the porridge burning, so stir a bit more frequently at that point and taste for seasoning.

3. Add salt and white pepper if necessary.

4. The finished texture of the congee is completely up to you, I like mine a bit watery, but you can also go for the texture of oatmeal porridge if you prefer.

5. Finish with some sesame oil and/or soy sauce and some sliced spring onions.

6. Serve hot and with toppings of your choice.