Ingredients:
- 8 cups of water or veggie broth of your choice
- 4 cups thinly sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 4 cups thinly sliced button, baby bella, shiitake mushrooms or a combination
- 1 cup brown rice (this recipe used long grain)
- 3 tablespoons grated ginger
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 chopped garlic
- juice of half lemon or fermented apple cider vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: Handful of seaweed your choice (I used thin Arame) and lemongrass
Serving Ingredients - Optional:
- Tamari sauce
- Spoonful of miso
- Chopped peanuts
- Spring onions
- Coriander
- Chopped hot peppers
- Extra grated ginger
- Leftover cooked veggies
- Fried egg
- Tofu cubes
- Seaweed sheets
- Bamboo shoots or sprouts
- Black sesame seeds
Preparation:
The night before: Prepare the mushrooms and ginger, and store in the fridge.
In the morning: Add the water, mushrooms, rice, chopped onion, garlic and ginger (lemongrass and seaweed if using) and lemon to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 7 to 9 hours. Add salt and pepper as you wish.
To serve, place your chosen toppings on the table and let everyone make it their favourite way. It’s also nice to add a spoonful of sesame oil or ghee into the broth too. It will make it creamier.
History/ Benefits:
Congee warms up the digestive system and sets a good foundation for the body to absorb the nutrients from the rest of the food you consume that day. If you are interested in undertaking a 'rice cure', simply eat congee for 3 to 7 days. At least 3 days are necessary, as it is during this period that a person’s gut bacteria changes. It is also an excellent food for new mammas for recovery after delivery.
I added shiitake mushrooms into this recipe for their benefits including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and antiviral properties that support a healthy immune response. The lentinan in shiitake protects against a variety of bacterial, viral and parasitic infections and improves the overall immune system, especially in the cooler months. This makes this recipe a healing congee and is an excellent superfood rich meal for Wintertime.
