I created this vegan congee recipe because I needed something nourishing to help build blood and qi in Chinese Medicine terms (aka, I was totally drained and out of energy), and I was in the middle of doing a vegan “cleanse” of sorts for about 3 weeks last year. I honestly forgot about this recipe until I signed up to give a Winter Wellness 101 talk at my workplace, and needed to cook a chicken congee recipe and vegan congee recipe to give people options for some healthy winter foods to stave off colds and flus. I remembered taking photos and saving information for a later post, and thankfully I found them from over a year ago. This recipe, while it takes a while to be totally honest, is really yummy- my daughter, who is pretty darn picky, even loved it and asked for seconds. I can count on one hand the number of things she asks for second helpings of (and that hand includes macaroni and cheese of course). It maybe helps because it’s a dark purple color thanks to the purple/black rice, and purple is her favorite color, but it really does have good flavor and even meat eaters will enjoy this dish.
And for those wondering what congee is…it’s a rice porridge in essence. It’s a great way to make a huge dish out of very little rice and other ingredients. It can be made up to be savory or sweet, though my favorite flavorings are ginger, sesame oil, garlic, and scallions. Give it a go and see what you think! And for those meat eaters, this recipe for chicken congee is my favorite and I can’t improve it because it’s awesome just the way it is: https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/ginger-chicken-jook-rice-porridge-29184
Now for the vegan congee!
Vegan Congee with Sauteed Mushrooms and Greens
Serves 6-8
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour
Congee:
1 cup black/purple/forbidden rice (it goes by many names)
4 cups Trader Joe’s Miso Ginger stock or Imagine brand Ramen broth, or similar (use veggie stock if you can’t find one with miso and Asian flavors, but I do recommend one of these for more depth of flavor)
5 cups filtered water
1 inch fresh ginger, with skin on, quartered
Sauteed Mushrooms:
8 oz. cremini mushrooms (small container)
3.2 oz box (or similar) shiitake mushrooms
1 tsp grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
Sauteed Greens:
5-6 oz of your favorite greens (bok choy, yu choi, or similar Asian greens are great; just note that you’ll want multiple heads of these to get enough greens since we won’t use the stems in this recipe; you can also use baby kale, spinach, or another green of choice here)
1 tsp grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
Directions:
Wash the rice in a mesh strainer and drain. Add the rice, broth, water, and ginger to a large pot or Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. After it reaches a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours, until the liquid is absorbed more and it becomes a more soup-like consistency. Note: the black rice is what makes this take so long to cook; if you are using another rice, such as a white jasmine or basmati rice, the cooking time will be closer to 1 hour to reach the consistency needed. Black rice has more blood-building properties and makes for a cool presentation, but white rice congee or even brown or red rice congee are also great. The more hearty the grain, the longer the cook time.
After the congee has only 15-20 mins left to cook, slice the mushrooms, and add the sesame oil, ginger, and garlic to a saute pan, and turn to medium-high heat. Saute the ginger and garlic for 1-2 mins and then add the mushrooms. Saute until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
Remove the mushrooms from the pan and place them into a serving bowl. You can either leave the mushroom “drippings” in the pan or clean the pan quickly, and then add the sesame oil, garlic, and ginger to the pan and saute for a minute to warm it through. Add the greens and saute for 2-3 minutes until wilted.
When the congee is cooked, ladle into a bowl, and top with mushrooms and greens. Enjoy!
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