What the heck is congee? No, it’s not a dance…it’s a grain based soup – thick, like a porridge. It is a very common breakfast in Asian countries.
With the cool weather I am enjoying bowl after bowl. In the Chinese tradition, white rice is the typical base. But living in the Bay Area I like to add those tasty and nutritious whole grains. So what I do is make the basic recipe and sub with brown rice or when feeling a little adventurous…wild rice or maybe some millet.
Congee is great because you can change the recipe any which way to suit your taste. Usually there is a base made with chicken or chicken/pork or fish stock (water or veg stock is fine for vegetarians). After simmering for hours it is served piping hot with various condiments you add to your bowl according to your particular taste. You might include shredded chicken or pork, pieces of fish, thousand year old eggs, boiled ginko nuts, chopped roasted peanuts, sprigs of cilantro, slices of scallion, and slivers of fresh ginger.
I remember as a kid my mom would set up the crock pot with her congee fix’ins after dinner and let it go overnight so that in the morning we had a nutritious breakfast to help us start our day. A far cry from artificially flavored sugary breakfast cereals.
