Pumpkin and brown rice congee

Slow cooker brown rice congee recipe

What is congee? Is it soup or porridge? Is it breakfast or dinner? Does it contain meat, or is there vegan congee? We’ll get to these questions, but the most important thing to know is that congee is delicious. It is one of the most versatile dishes you can make not just in terms of ingredients, but when you choose to eat it as well. 

Considered the oatmeal of Asia, individual nations have their own traditional congee recipes based on regional cuisine and local ingredients. Chinese congee (jook) uses jasmine rice and can feature any number of proteins from pork and seafood to century egg. Japanese congee (okayu) is a minimal congee soup served as a healing dish. Indian congee is a simple rice (charwal) porridge with ghee and cumin seeds. There’s also Vietnamese congee (cháo gà, which often uses fried bread, salted duck eggs, and sambal), Filipino congee (called arroz caldo, a chicken congee made with spices and eggs), and Thai congee (jok, similar to the Chinese variation and commonly made with garlic, ginger, and pork). 

This vegetarian congee recipe made with brown rice, pumpkin, and boiled eggs is a savoury rice porridge full of fibre and hearty goodness. It’s just the thing to warm up any dreary day, and it’s made easy with a slow cooker. 

How to make congee

When cooking congee, the most important element is the rice. To achieve the soft, porridge-like texture, you need to have the correct ratio. This congee recipe calls for two-thirds of a cup of brown rice and 2 litres of stock. The goal is for the rice to absorb as much liquid as possible whilst still remaining somewhat intact. Brown rice is a whole grain, meaning it contains both the bran and the germ. It requires more time and water to cook through than standard white rice. 

Start by coarsely chopping the spring onions. Place these into the slow cooker alongside the ginger, garlic, rice, and pumpkin. Cover with the chicken or vegetable stock. Cooking your rice in stock liquid helps impart extra flavour and boosts the umami content of this congee recipe. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 8. Your congee is ready when the rice is very tender and the mixture has thickened. This is one of those cases where gluggy, mushy rice is what you actually want.

After your congee has cooked, transfer the pumpkin to a large plate, being careful to preserve its shape (keeping the skin on will help with this). Add the tamari or soy sauce to the rice mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

To soft boil your eggs, add them to a medium saucepan that is at a rolling boil. Ensure that your eggs have been sitting out at room temperature before placing them into the water, otherwise the shells might break. Cook for 6-and-a-half minutes, or longer if you prefer them harder. Drain from the pot and refresh under cold water to halt the cooking process. To begin peeling your eggs, tap them lightly against a hard surface to crack the shell. Remove the shell as well as the membrane, which is the rubbery film between the shell and the white. Once peeled, cut your eggs in half. To make your spring onions into decorative ribbons, thinly slice them lengthways and place the slivers into  a bowl of ice water. After about 10 minutes, they should have curled. Drain the ice water.

To serve, divide your rice mixture among serving bowls. Top with the egg, pumpkin, and nori, then sprinkle with sunflower and sesame seeds, and garnish with the curled spring onions.

Now get cooking

There’s a reason this savoury porridge is so popular around the globe. Congee is a comforting and ultra-adaptable dish that can be eaten year-round to take advantage of seasonal produce. Not only can rice make excellent porridge, it also makes fantastic pudding as well! Add Curtis Stone’s dairy-free rice pudding with spiced plums to the dessert menu, or give this rice pudding with roasted strawberries a go.

If you’re sticking to savoury and want a Mediterranean-inspired rice dish that’s just as warming and hearty, try Michael Weldon’s tomato rice with anchovies. 

For some porridge recipes that use rolled oats instead of rice, check out this make-ahead porridge—you can apply the recipe method to others like this cinnamon porridge with mandarin to save yourself some time on those busy mornings.