My Vegetarian Congee Recipe, the Perfect Cold Season Soup
This vegetarian congee recipe is soothing and creamy, with no meat or dairy. It's perfect for when you're sick, or need something easily on the stomach. Serves two as a meal, four as a side.
Course Soup
Cuisine Chinese
Prep Time 15minutes
Cook Time 2hours
Total Time 2hours15minutes
Servings 4
Calories 372kcal
Author Stephanie Stiavetti
Ingredients
6dried shiitake mushrooms
1cupshort-grain or glutinous rice(which is gluten-free, by the way)
4cupsvegetable broth
4 to 8cupshot water
One 2-inchknobof gingerpeeled and diced
1largecarrotpeeled and finely diced
1small headof bok choychopped
1teaspoonsalt(more to taste)
1wholegreen onionfinely chopped, for garnish
1teaspoonsauteed garlicfor garnish
Instructions
Soak mushrooms in enough hot water to cover them. Once they are soft, discard water, drain mushrooms and remove the stems. Chop coarsely and set aside.
Rinse rice once and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, bring broth to a boil over high heat. Once the broth is boiling, add rice and 4 cups of hot water. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat to very low, allowing to gently simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water as necessary to create a creamy consistency.
After 30 minutes, add mushrooms, ginger, carrots, and bok choy. Let cook for another 60 minutes, continuing to add hot water and stir occasionally. You’ll need to stir and scrape the bottom of the pot every few minutes to keep the soup from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Once you’ve got a nice, creamy consistency and most of the rice grains have melted away into the broth, salt to taste. Serve hot in individual bowls, garnished with chopped green onions and sauteed garlic.