I recommend congee to someone almost weekly, especially cancer patients during chemotherapy or to clients recovering from a GI bug or other illness. Congee is an amazing food to eat medicinally to support digestion and overall health and people (even kids!) usually love it. We commonly recommend this to those dealing with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low appetite or who are recovering from an acute illness. However, congee is incredibly versatile and can be eaten at any time. In some Asian countries it’s a staple meal in the diet just as much as oatmeal can be in the West.

In Chinese medicine, rice is seen as warming with a sweet taste making it perfect for aiding the organ systems that regulate digestion. When slow-cooked in this fashion with extra fluids it is nourishing, hydrating, very palatable and easy to digest—perfect for digestive ailments when nothing sounds good or is staying down.

I also find that kids love it and it can even be fed to babies who are eating solid foods. When our daughter has been sick with a stomach virus or even a cold she typically won’t touch any food and very little fluids. Congee is the one thing I’ve been able to get her to eat during these times, even as a picky toddler!

For my cancer patients, I have found that congee can be an incredibly helpful and nourishing food, especially during chemotherapy. For one, it’s super easy to make (especially in a crock pot or Instant Pot) so doable even when you are deeply fatigued. It’s also palatable and can help abate nausea especially when cooked with ginger, so for those who are struggling to eat or keep on weight, it can be a life-saver. It’s also significantly more wholesome and easier on the system than a lot of the mainstream protein shakes that are often recommended by nutritionists and doctors. It’s versatility allows one to add protein when that sounds more appealing and other veggies, and leave them out when symptoms are more severe.

You can make congee with either white or brown rice. We usually recommend white rice for those who have nausea, vomiting or diarrhea as it tends to be even easier to digest. Brown rice is great for nursing moms, people with colds and flus, and just regular use. Short-grain rice works best. The typical ratio of rice to fluid is 1:6 but more is better than less. The longer you cook the congee the easier it will be to digest and absorb the nutrients. Also, if you have homemade broth on hand, that makes this dish even more nourishing!

Instructions:

1) Take 1 cup of rice and rinse in a fine mesh strainer

2) Add the rice to a crock pot, Instant Pot, or stock pot, then cover with 6-7 cups broth, water or a combination of the two.

a. Crock pot- cook on low for 6-8 hours

b. Instant Pot- cook on “Manual” setting at high pressure for 20 minutes

c. Stove top- cook on low for 2-4 hours

3) The end result should be a soft and soupy porridge consistency. Add more fluids if needed to achieve this.

The following medicinal foods are things I commonly suggest to add to congee to enhance the healing benefits for certain conditions; best if added about 1 hour into cooking (although OK to add at the beginning especially for Instant Pot):

1) Fresh ginger root- can either slice 1-2 inches of root into chunks and cook with the rice, then remove before eating, or mince and leave in. Warming and good for nausea, diarrhea and low appetite. Also good for cold and flus with chills.

2) Carrot- Good for chronic indigestion, reflux or gas.

3) Celery- Cooling and can help with hypertension and tinnitus.

4) Leek- Warming, can help aid digestion and good for diarrhea.

5) Beef marrow stock (use instead of water or other broth)- Good choice for anemia or fatigue; tonifies qi and blood and is very nourishing.

6) Onion or scallion- Also warming, good for phlegm conditions such as with a cold, cough, or allergies

7) Radish- Cooling, good for ulcers or GERD

8) Butternut squash- Boosts qi and energy and provides a sweeter flavor

If you are having strong symptoms and hoping for congee to be medicinal, starting simple with one ingredient is recommended then add more as you understand what your body tolerates.

If you are in the recovery period from a virus or just like congee as a meal, you can get more creative and add things at the end of cooking such as sautéed veggies, cooked meat or a fried egg on top. You can make it sweeter and add coconut milk and cinnamon, or feel free to spice it up with turmeric, ginger, pepper, ginger, etc. I think it’s especially yummy to top with fried shallots and chopped scallions.

Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Carli Gaines, RN, LAc