Congee is a warming rice porridge from Asian cuisine that can be easily adapted to your taste. You can find out how to prepare the nourishing dish here.
Congee is a simple rice porridge. In many Asian countries, especially China, it is one of the most popular staple foods. It is particularly common as a warming breakfast dish.
For congee, rice is boiled in plenty of water (rule of thumb: ten cups of water per cup of rice) until it has almost completely dissolved. It then takes on a porridge-like consistency. Prepared in this way, congee has a very faint taste of its own. This makes the rice porridge an ideal basis for various toppings and fillings.
The basic recipe requires only rice and is therefore very inexpensive. Which kind you take is up to your personal taste. However, we recommend using organic rice. Rice is a food that is often contaminated with pollutants such as cadmium, mineral oil, and arsenic, as Oko-Test found out. Although some organic rice varieties are also affected, no chemical-synthetic pesticides are used in organic farming. This is not only better for you, but also for the environment.
Congee: The basic recipe
Since congee takes a little more time to prepare, it’s worth preparing a large portion in advance. Covered, Congee keeps in the fridge for four days and can be warmed up in portions.
Ingredients:
100 grice
1000 ml water
Directions:
Wash the rice in a colander under running water.
Boil the rice in a large pot with a liter of water.
Then reduce the heat to the lowest setting and let the rice simmer for 3 to 4 hours.
You can now refine the congee or enjoy it pure.
Pure congee is like a blank slate. Only with the right toppings or ingredients does it become a dish full of flavors.
For example, you can emulate people in some areas of China who cook rice in broth instead of water. Or you can add chopped ginger, garlic or mushrooms during the cooking process.
If you want to prepare congee as a sweet meal, you can add the following toppings to the finished porridge:
- plum compote
- raspberry jam
- Roasted almonds or other nuts
- soy yoghurt
- chia pudding
- fresh fruit
The following are suitable as toppings for a savory version:
- sprouts
- regular tofu or chickpea tofu
- Sushi Ginger
- Sesame and other seeds and kernels
- roasted chickpeas
- roasted onions
- Vegetables like spring onions, carrots, cucumbers, or broccoli