Congee with Shiitake Mushrooms & Tofu
Congee with Shiitake Mushrooms & Tofu
My first taste of Congee or Rice Porridge was actually on a return flight from Taiwan. Since I love a warm savory breakfast I was naturally intrigued and dove right in. Needless to say I loved it!
While in Asia I also became accustom to having silken Tofu for breakfast and combining the two just made perfect sense and created the ultimate high protein meal. Congee is extremely easy to make and can be customized by adding different seasonings to the cooking broth. It cooks at a 1:9 ratio so you can flavor the 9 cups of cooking liquid any way you like. I used Garlic, No Chicken Broth and Shiitake Mushrooms to add flavor but you can also add things like Ginger or Lemon Grass.
Now to the best part, the toppings! In addition to the sliced Tofu (or any protein) you can add a whole variety of yummy things to the Congee. The options are endless. I added sliced Green Onions, Soy Sauce, Garlic Chili Oil and Fried Bread but you can also add sautéed Greens, Sesame Seeds and fresh Herbs.
Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients
1 cup Long Grain Rice ( I used White Jasmine)
6 Dried Shiitake Mushrooms soaked in 2 cups of Water (reserve Water for cooking) You can also use fresh Mushrooms just make sure to add 2 more cups of broth to the cooking liquid
3 cloves of Garlic minced
1 1/2 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
4 cups No Chicken Broth ( I use the cubes from Edward and Sons you can sub any type of veggie broth)
3 cups of Water ( you can use more Broth)
1/2 package of Mori-Nu Silken Tofu Extra Firm
Toppings:
Sliced Green Onions
Soy Sauce
Garlic Chili Oil
Fried Bread Dough also known as “Chinese Doughnuts” or Youtiao ( can be found at your local Asian market)
Note: You can add whatever you like such as Sesame Seeds, Fresh Herbs, Sautéed Greens. The options are endless!
Directions
1. Soak the Rice in a bowl of Water for 30 minutes. Rinse and set aside.
2. While the Rice is soaking, in a separate bowl soak the dried Shiitake Mushrooms in 2 cups of hot water. Reserve the liquid to cook with. Remove the stems and chop the Mushrooms. Set aside.
3. In a large pot, sauté the Garlic in the Toasted Sesame Oil until fragrant. Add in the chopped Shiitake Mushrooms and continue sautéing for a few minutes.
4. Add in the soaked rinsed Rice and mix well
5. Add in a total of 9 cups of liquid (4 cups of No Chicken Broth, 2 cups of Mushrooms Broth & 3 cups of Water) Bring to a boil and cover
6. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour stirring occasionally until thickened. (It should be thick but still fluid like porridge or a creamy soup)
7. Top with slices of Mori-Nu Silken Tofu, Soy Sauce, Green Onions, Garlic Chili Oil.
Note: Make sure to refrigerate any remaining Tofu
