Congee or "rice water" is a medicinal porridge that has been used in Traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. This doesn't sound super appetizing, but I can assure you it is! As a popular breakfast meal and comfort food in China, congee makes you feel good! It is especially beneficial for people with poor digestion, fatigue, weakness, and to aid in recovery of chronic illness.
Congee is a simple rice soup which is easily digested and absorbed. It is very inexpensive, easy to make, uses few ingredients and is quite versatile. Congee strengthens your digestive system and helps to improve your strength and energy. It is also very helpful to increase nursing mother's breast milk supply.
Congee Recipe
6 - 8 cups of water (or 6 cups of water and 2 cups of bone broth or chicken broth)
1 cup of grain of choice (I use organic jasmati rice)
1 tsp of raw organic honey
1 TBSP of organic pastured butter
1/2 tsp of Himalayan or sea salt
Directions:
Add water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Add your grain of choice (rice, millet, barley, quinoa, etc.) to the pan once the water is boiling. Add the honey, butter and salt to the pot. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Pour everything into a slow-cooker set on low and let cook for 6 - 8 hours (or overnight).
My favorite way to eat congee is to add a little dash of cinnamon and nutmeg, sliced breakfast sausage and a little extra organic honey and butter. I also like to eat congee with eggs, scallion and a little hot sauce on top.
There are endless ways to make your congee unique, so you are never bored. You can add fresh berries or apples and walnuts with a dash of cinnamon. You can also use make this recipe more savory by adding chicken and vegetables with some ginger and garlic.
I love to make congee at night and let it cook while I'm sleeping. It is so nice to wake up to a big pot of congee for breakfast (and it smells amazing)! I store the extra congee in the fridge and heat it up for a quick meal by adding in protein, vegetables, herbs and spices.