WARM YOURSELF FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Congee is a traditional Chinese breakfast, a rice porridge. It is a warming and nourishing dish that our bodies and our spirit need in abundance coming into this winter season.  The base of Congee is rice cooked in water or broth and then an array of toppings can be added to one’s own personal preference. You could even make it sweet by adding some fresh fruit, honey, Gou Qi berries and a dried date.  But I’d like to share my go-to savory congee recipe with you today!

Ingredients: 

1 ½ cups of bone broth

1 thumb-size piece of ginger 

1 cooked pork chop/chicken breast/filet of steak (30g of protein) 

1 cup of broccoli flowerettes 

½ cup cooked rice

1 sheet of kambo

1 cup shiitake mushrooms

1 teaspoon sesame oil 

1 tbsp miso paste

optional:

soy sauce to taste

sunflower seeds 

Tabasco/sriracha sauce 

kimchi 

green onions 

bamboo shoots

hard boiled egg

Instructions: 

1. Traditionally, much more broth is used (4 ½ cups) to cook the rice from its raw state for an hour until it is almost disintegrated, however I like to pre-cook my rice and then pour my broth over the top of it.  Pour broth into a pot and add thin sliced ginger, bring it to a boil on the stove and then turn it down to simmer.

2. Add sliced up choice of protein, strips of kambo, sliced shiitake, broccoli and miso paste to the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes or until broccoli is cooked to desired consistency.  

3. Place ½ cup of cooked rice into the bottom of a deep bowl and then pour hot broth over the top. 

4. Add sesame oil and other desired toppings to congee and enjoy!