Julia's Get Better Brown Rice Congee

Traditionally eaten in China as a breakfast food, this is a very healing soup which can be taken when convalescing, whilst suffering from digestive upset or when you feel weak and have low energy. You can play around with the ingredients and measurements, this is just a guide.

Ingredients

1 large handful of brown rice
Approximately 8 small mugs of water (filtered is better)
Sea salt or 2 level teaspoon of Marigold vegan boullion
1 large carrot
1 inch of fresh ginger
3 cloves of fresh garlic more if liked!
3 spring onions
6 dried shitake mushrooms
1 dessertspoon of hijiki seaweed
nori flakes
chilli-garlic linseed oil or tamari (or try sugar-rich but tasty thai sweet chilli sauce)

Method

Put the brown rice and hijiki in a large pot with a lid. Bring to the boil and then cover and turn down to a low simmer, you can add some sea salt or marigold vegan boullion if you like. Let the rice cook for as long as possible. In China it is commonly cooked for 4-6 hours, aim for at least 2 and a half hours. The more you cook the rice the more strengthening properties the congee will have. While the rice is cooking, soak the mushrroms in a little cold water.

In the last half hour of cooking add the chopped carrot, finely chopped giner and garlic, sliced soaked mushrooms and the soaking water. In the last five minutes add the finely sliced spring onion. The soup should be slightly gelatinous. Serve into soup bowls, sprinkle with nori and add a liberal dash of chilli garlic oil, sweet chilli or tamari.

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