Chicken soup. Pastina. Noodles.
These have been my go-to dishes in times of sickness. When I was dealing with some intense allergies this week, I decided to turn to a new dish, inspired by my Qigong Instructor training: congee.
Qigong is an ancient Chinese energetic art based in the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). To support the body, the TCM way of eating is based on easy-to-digest food that are nutrient-dense, wholesome, and restorative. That’s where congee comes in.
Also known as “jook”, congee is a porridge made of grains, mainly rice. In China, the classic congee is made with white rice, chicken, and seasonings. It is considered the ultimate comfort food, from breakfast rituals to sickness and recovery. Cooking the rice over a long period of time and with lots of liquids helps the rice unlock its properties. The chicken broth is also hydrating and provides collagen, which can help repair the GI tract. Perhaps even more versatile than oatmeal, congee can act as a canvas for any flavor. You can make congee with millet, or add in cinnamon, raisins, and goji berries. The possibilities are endless.
To keep things simple, I added poached chicken to mine, some black pepper, and ghee/olive oil. Once I’m feeling better, I would love to try Ottolenghi’s black rice version.
Looking at congee through a TCM lens, due its hydrating quality, congee can help nourish your Yin. The yin is the female energy, moon, dark, night, cold and weak qualities. It also relates to the bodily fluids, hormones, skin luminosity, and muscle strength. When your body generates heat through any form of excess in your life (work, exercise, sun, etc.), your Yin depletes. In particular, millet nourishes the Yin of the Lungs and Stomach, and barley nourishes the blood, cools the liver, and strengthens the digestive system.
So how do you make congee? It’s quite simple.
Ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain white rice (I did jasmine)
- 8 cups water, vegetable broth, or chicken broth*
- a touch of salt
Directions
- Rinse and soak rice for 30 minutes.
- Rinse again. Put in a pot with water/chicken broth and salt, and bring to a boil.
- Once at a boil, let it simmer on medium-low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring in between.
- Set aside with a lid and let it rest.
*Depending on your desired consistency, you may want to add more liquid or less.