Congee (or Zhou 粥) is a simple and plain dish of white rice cooked in water, much like a soupy porridge. It is a staple of the Chinese diet, eaten by young and old, alike, as a breakfast soup, a medicinal remedy, a tonic, or a late night snack after an evening of talking and drinking alcohol with friends.
As food medicine, it is a dish of prime importance because being bland in taste, neutral in temperature, soft yet firm in texture, it nourishes both the yin fluids and tonifies the yang qi function of the transformation of “grains and fluids”. In other words, it has a very definite medical action called “Harmonizing the Middle”, “Tonifying” the stomach qi and the spleen qi, and “Regulating” the qi of the digestive system. These medical actions are key to restoring and maintaining health.
Congee can be added to other food medicine recipes in order to moderate or support the actions of those recipes, it can be eaten on its own to moderate excessive conditions of the body (whether from the side effects of medical treatment such as chemo/radiation therapy, or self induced effects of drinking or eating excessively). It can also be used as the main part of any meal, and how you use its harmonizing and balancing properties as the center of a meal depends on your own healthy make-up, or condition of imbalance.
As a breakfast porridge, it is commonly eaten with a few small side dishes, such as kimchi or other pickles, perhaps a boiled or fried egg, some fried greens or other leftovers...much like a breakfast array of “tapas”!
1 cup rice
10 cups water
Preparation.
1. Wash the rice thoroughly, rinsing in plain water until the water is clear.
2. Place water and rice in a large cooking pan, cover and bring to boil over a high heat.
3. Immediately after it begins to boil, uncover and turn the heat down very low. Lay two chopsticks or knives on the rim of the pan, so that you can rest the lid of the pan on the. This creates a gap between the pan and the lid, allowing enough steam to escape so that the rice does not boil over, yet keeping it covered enough that the water does not evaporate.
4. Cook for at least 45 minutes or longer (depending on the type of rice you use...it is important to have the rice “break down” to achieve a creamy consistency, yet remain firm enough to have some texture). Stir occasionally, and, if it absorbs to much of the liquid while cooking, add more water.
