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Healing Shiitake Mushroom Congee

TIME

7-9 hours (in slow cooker), plus pre-prepare night before

SERVES
2-3
CREATED BY

Jana/ @thesecret_kitchen

Healing Shiitake Mushroom Congee

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:

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.