Congee is a staple food in Chinese culture, mostly consumed for breakfast, and I love it for its simplicity and versatility. You can make it with any grain, you can add anything to it. It can be bland or flavorful, sweet or savory. The only rules are to cook it for a long time, giving it the ability to break down and become porridge. The Chinese believe that the longer it is cooked, the more powerful it becomes. Joan Didion said of caring for the bereaved, in her book “The Year of Magical Thinking” about her life after the death of her husband:
“‘Prepare a little hot tea or broth and it should be brought to them…without their being asked if they would care for it. Those who are in great distress want no food, but if it is handed to them, they will mechanically take it ‘ … There was something arresting about the matter-of-fact wisdom here, the instinctive understanding of the physiological disruptions… I will not forget the instinctive wisdom of the friend who, every day for those first few weeks, brought me a quart container of scallion-and-ginger congee from Chinatown. Congee I could eat. Congee was all I could eat.”
Congee is also a very easy, nourishing food for those who are sick, recovering from surgery, have just given birth or are breastfeeding.
Simple Congee Recipe, with Variations and Suggestions
1 part grain: traditionally rice is used, congee meaning “rice water” but other grains can be used
5-6 parts water
Cook the rice and water in a covered pot on warm for 4-6 hours or put it in a slow cooker overnight and wake up to hot breakfast.
You can mix and match ingredients from the following list to make your own congee recipe. I’m emphasizing the foods that tonify the metal element, the Lung and Large Intestines, and help the immune system fight off pathogens in the transitional autumn season.
- Black Pepper: eliminates pain of the bowels
- Carrot: digestive aid
- Celery: benefits the large intestine
- Cinnamon: warming, good for circulation
- Ginger: warming, antiseptic and good for digestion
- Leek/Scallion: benefits the lungs and helps the immune system
- Radish: decongestant, benefits the diaphragm
- Sesame seed: for constipation, benefits kidneys
- Sweet potato: supports the stomach and treats diarrhea or constipation
Consider a breakfast congee of pears, ginger and almonds to moisten the lungs and intestines, warm the digestion and treat dry coughing. Or a Chicken, asparagus, and turnip congee to sooth cough, transform phlegm and fortify the lung qi.
You may be realizing by now that any combination of foods can be added to congee to make it delicious and fortifying. Use your intuition when adding ingredients, cook what sounds good to your system.
