Brown rice congee is easy to cook up on the stove or in a pressure cooker. There are directions for both, so choose your own adventure!
With all of the rich food we’re eating during this time of year, I felt like I needed something that was comforting but also super healthy. This brown rice congee is packed with veggies and is oil free. The perfect contrast to basically everything else that I’ve been eating lately.
More rice dishes: Kimchi Rice and Beans, Easy Fried Rice
Congee is a savory Chinese rice porridge, and it’s surprisingly filling for how little rice you use to cook up a big potful. This is a recipe that I originally wrote back in 2007 after visiting my friend Marilyn in New York who took me to a congee restaurant. I couldn’t find vegan congee in Atlanta, so I decided to make my own.
Fun fact: This lychee mojito recipe was also inspired by that trip!
This version is one that I’ve dusted off, revamped, and freshened up. Fresh spices replaced dried, white rice is now brown rice, and I’m using rich mushroom broth instead of veggie broth to make it extra decadent.
I’ve also added pressure cooker directions, because I’m obsessed with my Instant Pot Duo right now. The Instant Pot Duo actually has a congee button, but since I’m pretty sure most pressure cookers don’t, the directions below have generic directions.
Brown Rice Congee with Shiitake Mushrooms and Bok Choy
Makes 4 servings.
If you can’t find shiitake or don’t want to spring for these fany mushrooms, you can use button or baby bella mushrooms instead. I do think that shiitakes add a special dimension to this dish, but you’ll still end up with a bowl of comfort food if you sub them out.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 4 cups mushroom broth
- 2 cups bok choy, chopped (green and white parts)
- 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced in half lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 cup warm water, if needed (not needed for the pressure cooker method)
- diced scallion
- 1 block cooked tofu (optional, I used my Easy Salt and Pepper Tofu.)
- shoyu or soy sauce, to taste
Method
- Stove top directions: Combine the rice, broth, bok choy, mushrooms, garlic, and ginger in a soup pot or dutch oven and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for two hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes. If things start to look dry, dump in that extra water! Spoon into bowls and stir in cooked tofu and scallions. Add shoyu to taste.
- Pressure cooker directions: Combine the rice, broth, bok choy, mushrooms, garlic, and ginger in your pressure cooker and seal the lid. Press the manual button, and set it to cook for 40 minutes. Let the pressure come down naturally. Spoon into bowls and stir in cooked tofu and scallions. Add shoyu to taste.
Republished with permission from Glue and Glitter.
