The cold and rain brings back childhood memories of waking up to steaming bowls of rice congee for breakfast. Garnished with whisper thin slivers of ginger to keep the warmth burning inside, congee was the perfect way to start a cold damp day. Congee is also a great food to have when you are feeling under the weather as it is easy to digest after it’s long cook time.
Here is a recipe where I updated it to use brown rice and lentils to add extra fiber and protein.
The toppings listed are just suggestions. Don’t use all of them – just pick a few favorites or use what is on hand.
Whole Grain & Lentil Congee (aka Jook)
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
3/4 cup brown and wild rice
1/4 cup lentils
8 cups vegetable broth — or chicken stock
1 teaspoon sea salt
***Toppings (optional)***
2 each scallion — sliced
1 tablespoon peanuts — chopped
4 large eggs, hard-boiled — sliced in wedges
2 teaspoons flax seed
2 teaspoons ginger — finely julienned
cilantro — roughly chopped
ginko nuts, sesame oil, white pepper
Soak rice and lentils overnight with 1T of fresh lemon juice. Drain and rinse.
Put first 4 ingredients in a stock pot and simmer covered for about 3 hours. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking
To serve, ladle in bowl and add desired toppings.
For Crock Pot – put hot stock in crock pot with rice, lentils and sea salt. Cook on high for at least 8 hours. Stir every few hours to prevent the bottom from sticking.
Toppings may be prepared the day before.
Add 5 g protein per serving by adding 1 oz of cooked shredded chicken breast to each serving.
Variations: Mix various grains along with the rices – suggested: millet, barley, quinoa. Just keep the total to 3/4 of a cup and the majority of the mix should be rice.
Enjoy!
