When a macrobiotic counselor recommended congee for me decades ago, I was so overwhelmed by all of the changes he had prescribed, that I just never got around to making the congee happen. That consult was one of the first experiences that empowered me to use food to support my good health, so I’m certainly grateful for it. At the time, however, walking out with a 26-page booklet of things I needed to change was overwhelming. There have been times since when I have tried to add just one new food or supplement to my routine and struggled!
Flash forward several decades, I’ve finally checked most of the boxes in that booklet. However, it wasn’t until my daughter called one day and asked, “What do you know about congee?” that I started taking an interest and doing some experimenting to check that final box. Thanks to her, these delicious, warming, satisfying, and nourishing grain dishes have finally become part of my winter routine.
Healing porridges are an important part of culinary traditions from all over the world and can be made with a variety of grains and legumes. In the Korean tradition, these porridges are called “Juk.” In Japan, “Okayu,” and in India, “Kitchari.” In Norway and many other countries, it is simply porridge. There’s Italian polenta and risotto, and even American southern grits.
The term “Congee” comes from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and describes a healing porridge sought for its ability to support healthy digestion. In TCM, different grains and legumes are used to make congees that provide a variety of healing benefits – some add sweetness and cooling that moistens internal heat, and others counter “dampness” or stagnancy.
The recipes that follow reflect my favorites even though they use just a few of the possible grains and cooking liquids that will yield healing and delicious congees. Consider your own unique constitution and experiment with ingredients such as aduki beans, mung beans, chicken and fish stock, and even bone broth. Let your nutritionist within be your guide.
My favorites congees include jasmine rice, which yields a gentle and sweet congee that TCM suggests can help balance conditions of excess heat (think: red eyes, swelling, water retention, and even anxiety). Millet congee, which conversely is thought to alleviate coldness characterized by weak digestion, is naturally sweet, and lends itself well to the addition of dried fruit, sweet roots and winter squashes, nuts, and seeds. And quinoa, my favorite of the three, which is high in protein and thought to boost metabolism (an influence I negate by cooking it in whole coconut milk!)
Congee can be cooked with a variety of ingredients to add flavor or dressed up after it’s cooked to yield both savory and sweet whole meals. The recipes that follow are fairly simple, in keeping with the original intent of congee as a gentle, warming, calming, easy-to-digest, feel-good winter food. I hope that convinces you not to wait as long as I did to try congee.
Try this recipe from the book: Jasmine Congee with Leeks, Shiitakes, and Crunchy Chile
This excerpt is reprinted with permission from Nourish: Plant-Based Recipes to Feed Body, Mind and Soul, © Terry Walters 2022.
Terry Walters is the best-selling cookbook author of Clean Food, Clean Start, Eat Clean Live Well, and most recently, Nourish: Plant-based Recipes to Feed Body Mind and Soul. She is a James Beard Foundation Award finalist, recipient of the Nautilus Gold and Silver Book Awards, and recipient of the World Gourmand “Second Best Vegetarian Cookbook in the World” and “Best Vegetarian Cookbook in the United States” Awards.
Terry is a highly sought-after educator, consultant, and speaker, and has been teaching plant-based cooking and wellness to audiences all over the world for over twenty years. She is a dedicated chef, coach, and advocate, sharing her knowledge and passion for making healthy changes in the way we eat and live.
She is an avid runner, skier and hiker – living what she teaches; doing her best to embrace good health for herself, her family, her community and the environment.
Follow her at terrywalters.net or on Instagram at @TerryWaltersCooks
