Winter’s delight - a Congee recipe

As the weather cools down I always start to crave winter warming foods. I find congee, or rice porridge, incredibly nourishing and comforting. It reminds me of warm breakfasts by the pool in Bali and I find it super easy to prepare in advance. In winter I’ll almost always have some in the fridge to heat up for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

For this recipe I used brown rice and chicken, but you could easily convert to a  vegan version using vegetable stock, tofu and a variety of mushrooms. You can also vary the toppings based on what’s in your fridge. I generally will use dried shallots, leftover veg and some sauerkraut but really whatever you have handy / enjoy.

You will need:

1 large pot with a lid

2 cups of long grain rice (I used brown but any rice will do)

Chicken pieces (whichever cut is your preference)

5cm square piece of ginger

2 garlic cloves

Good quality chicken stock (I use Urban Forager)

Shiitake mushrooms

Chinese Broccoli (kai lan)

Lightly fry chicken pieces with ginger and garlic until slightly browned (about 2-3 minutes depending on cut of chicken)

Add mushrooms and broccoli and fry for an extra minute. Add rice, stock and 10 cups of water. Bring to the boil then lower to simmer with a lid for around an hour – depending on how soft you would like the rice.

Serve with spring onions, chilli, coriander and a drizzle of soy.

Enjoy!

Kerryn x