A Congee Primer

One of my favorite things in the world to eat (and my number-one comfort food of choice)  is also perhaps the simplest: congee, or rice porridge. A staple throughout Asia congee is also called juk, kanji, ganji, chao, chok, lugaw, and jaou, amongst other things. Now, there’s nothing that exciting about rice porridge, I’ll admit. Rather, the awesome part of congee is the condiments, for which the congee itself is the perfect compliment and vehicle.

Congee is ridiculously easy to make — simply boil rice in an excess of water. For a thicker congee use a five cups of water to one cup of rice ratio. I like mine a little thinner so I use a 10/1 water/rice ratio, but in some parts of Asia you can find it as thin as 13/1 or even 15/1. Simply bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and cook for about an hour. That’s it. Congee is also a mild and easily digestible food — often served to infants, the elderly, and the infirm. It is also an ideal diet food — when prepared at a 10/1 ratio, 1 cup of congee has only 71 calories, and zero grams of fat. That’s hard to beat…Congee can also be made with other grains besides rice, such as millet, kasha, barley, and oats.

So now the good part: the condiments. Congee add-ons are infinite, and vary greatly from country to country. In Bangladesh, for example, konji jaou (congee) is typically served for breakfast with lime, salt, chili, and fried shallot. In some parts of India ganji (congee) is topped with shaved coconut, fresh coconut milk, and fish curry, chutney, or fresh pickles. In Japan okayu (congee) is often topped with green onion, ginger, umeboshi, soy sauce, or miso. And in Vietnam, Buddhist monks often enjoy their chao simply, with fermented tofu and pickled vegetables. There is really no “inauthentic” way to enjoy congee — its permutations are endless!

One of my favorite preparations: coconut milk, brown sugar, chili oil, preserved black bean, and roasted peanuts

When I enjoy congee for breakfast I usually top it with brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, nuts, dried or fresh fruit, jams and chutneys, seeds, red bean paste, and coconut or almond milk — not necessarily all at once! Some of my favorite savory condiments are: sambal, chilies and chili oil, Sriracha, egg, roasted peanuts or cashews, scallion, cilantro, miso, preserved black beans, tofu, fried garlic and mushrooms, and coconut milk.

It’s such a ridiculously simple recipe that I feel kind of silly posting it, but I figured that it’s something that a lot of non-Asians aren’t familiar with. Congee is cheap, it’s filling, it’s healthy, and with the right condiments, it’s downright soulful.

For a hearty meal: topped with fried egg, chili paste, preserved black bean, scallion, and roasted peanuts

Mushroom Pot Pie with Port Gravy

On Saturday I took my daughter, Harriet, the farmer’s market here in Charleston. I love farmer’s markets, and wish that we had more of them, but navigating your way through the throngs of oblivious people while avoiding being tripped by a dog leash or run over by a double-wide stroller is often enough to sap my motivation to go. Also frustrating are the often outrageous prices for produce that may or may not actually be organic and local….I don’t mean to bash farmer’s markets: I really do love them, and think it’s important to support local farms and food purveyors, but the one in Charleston could certainly stand some improvements….

Regardless of my complaints and the brain-melting heat, Harriet and I actually had a lovely time wandering the market, and found some really amazing things. We bought a basket of locally grown Asian Pears, which were crisp and juicy and mind-blowingly delicious. We also got fresh peaches and gold cherry tomatoes. But our best find was the Mepkin Abbey oyster mushrooms. (Mepkin Abbey is a community of Trappist Catholic monks here in South Carolina, and they grow THE most amazing oyster mushrooms.)

Usually when I get Mepkin mushrooms I just sautee them with some butter or olive oil and salt, but this time I wanted to do something really special with them to showcase their amazing flavor. I love baking so making mushroom pie seemed like the obvious way to go. Pot pies are so easy to make, and so delicious and comforting — they always remind me of being a kid. The port gravy elevates this a bit, so it’s more sophisticated than your typical pot pie. If you don’t have port, you could substitute a dry red or even a white wine, but nothing quite compliments the flavor of mushrooms the way port does, in my opinion. If you are a meat eater, chicken would be an excellent addition to this, but I think that the meatiness of the mushrooms makes this plenty substantial on its own. Similarly, you can use any kind of mushrooms you have available, and could also swap out the peas and spinach for any vegetable you prefer, or simply omit them and make this a straight mushroom pie….

Ingredients:

– 1 Perfect Pie Crust,* or two store-bought crusts

– 1/2 c. butter, or butter substitute such as Earth Balance for a vegan pie

– 1 lb. fresh mushrooms (I used 1/2 oyster and 1/2 cremini)

– 3/4 c. frozen peas

– 2 c. loosely packed fresh spinach

– 1 vidalia or other yellow onion, diced

– 1/4 c. flour

– 1  c. vegetable stock**

– 1/2 c. ruby port

– 1/2 Tbsp. dried thyme, or 1 Tbsp. fresh

– Salt and Pepper to taste

*Reduce sugar in recipe to 1 Tbsp.

** You can buy vegetable stock in any grocery store but I like to make my own — every time I cook with vegetables I save the trimmings in a large plastic bag in the freezer. Before long I have a bag full of asparagus ends, leek bulbs, broccoli stalks, etc. To make stock, simply put all of your veggie bits into a large pot, cover completely in water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or until liquid is reduced by half

Directions:

1. Trim, wash, and dry mushrooms

2. In a large saucepan melt 1/4 c. butter (substitute) over medium-low heat

3. Add mushrooms and gently sautee until they are browned and softened

4. Add peas and spinach and cook until spinach is just barely wilted

5. Salt and pepper to taste

6. Transfer vegetables to a heat-proof bowl and set aside

7. Return saucepan to stove, turn heat up to medium and add remaining 1/4 c. butter (substitute)

8. Add diced onion and sautee in butter until translucent

9. Add flour and stir continuously for 2 minutes

10. Slowly add stock while stirring, creating a thick gravy

11. Add port and stir well

12. Add thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat

13. Add vegetables to gravy and mix well

14. Preheat oven to 425F

15. Fit 1/2 of your pie crust (or 1 whole crust if using store-bought) into the bottom of a 9” pie pan or similarly sized casserole dish, making sure that some of the crust overhangs the edges of the dish

16. Fill bottom crust with vegetable-gravy mixture

17. Carefully place second half of pie crust over the top, pinching the edges of the dough to seal together

18. Use a knife to cut the top so that heat can escape (and your pie doesn’t explode in the oven!)

19. Bake at 425F for 20-25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown

20. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving

This is a hearty entree, but could certainly be made to be served as a side dish. I think it is perfect on its own, served with a little salad (and a glass of wine!). I made a little salad with the gold cherry tomatoes I got at the farmer’s market, with avocado, red onion, and some tangy feta….

Delicious!