Congee: Easy Comfort Food For The Whole Family

Congee, or rice porridge, might be a new and savory surprise for your kids, but this healthy and simple dish has been served for many years in Asian cultures. Let’s take a look at how this breakfast alternative might delight your whole family’s palate.

Congee, otherwise known as rice gruel or rice porridge, has been widely enjoyed both as a breakfast food and overall dietary aid in Asian cultures. In the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is not recommended to eat cold foods, especially in the morning, as it is hard on the digestion and transportation of food throughout the body. Many people in the West start the morning off with cold milk, sugary cereal, yogurt or fruit smoothies. Not only are those items too cold, but they may also be high in sugar and lacking nutrition. On the other hand, congee is a healthy, nutritious, warming meal given to children in Asian cultures that is delicious, very simple to make and can be flavored many different ways to taste.

Some benefits of congee include its uses as a dietary aid for digestive issues such as poor appetite, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Congee is healthy for young, developing stomachs, it is filling, warming to the body and easily absorbed. Congee is often eaten when one is under the weather, at the beginning stages of cold or flu. Eating it just feels good to the body and its preparation stimulates the senses. This hearty dish can be made more nutritious by adding herbs, spices, vegetables or meats to enrich the flavor.

Here is a simple recipe to make basic congee or rice porridge. You can add what you and your family prefer, make it sweeter, add a kick, a touch of salt or keep it bland.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice

6-8 cups water

2 cups chicken stock

Directions:

Wash the rice and drain twice

Boil water with rice and chicken stock added, reduce to simmer, then partially cover

Keep mixture on stove for 1 1/2 hours on stove, stir occasionally

Serve and garnish

Examples of popular additions to congee include ginger, garlic, chicken, pork or beef. For a good congee recipe using chicken bones, check out: kitchn.com

In addition to this recipe, a simple search on the Internet can show you other ways of making congee. There are also recipes specific to cooking congee in a rice cooker or crock pot. Give congee a try. Congee is a soothing, easy porridge that just might be the perfect addition to your family’s breakfast, lunch or dinner table.

Dr. Ellie Heintze, ND, LAc, is a naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist in Bothell, WA at her practice Starting Point Acupuncture. She specializes in chronic and complex cases and commonly treats neuropathy, fibromyalgia, migraines, autoimmune, and infertility cases. Dr. Ellie Heintze is also the author of the book, A Starting Point Guide to Going Gluten-Free  and Keep Calm and Zen Out available on Amazon.