Congee: Super Food for Digestive Health

Congee is a very basic traditional food that people in China and across Asia have been eating for thousands of years. The basic rice porridge is easy to digest and serves as the perfect medium for medicinal foods.

A simple congee recipe takes 1 part white rice in 8 parts water and cooks it slowly for 6-8 hours (a crock-pot can be useful for this). White rice is used because it is a little easier to digest and particularly beneficial for convalescence and the treatment of chronic diseases such as cancer. We learned to make congee during our Chinese Medical Training and I don’t think there is a more satisfying food in the world. The flavor will vary depending on which foods and herbs you add, but you always end up with a warm bowl of porridge that will calm your tummy and give you long lasting energy. One of the best references for Congee recipes and special diets for Cancer patients is Michael Tierra’s book “The Way of Herbs.” He has a very helpful chapter on Botanical Cancer treatments that is full of practical guidelines for choosing foods and optimizing your health during this journey. Here is his Congee recipe for someone who has general weakness, immunodeficiency and loss of appetite:

  • Combine in a nonreactive soup pot or crock-pot and simmer on low heat for 6 hours adding more water if necessary and stirring occasionally.
  • 2 sticks of astragalus root
  • 12 grams ginseng
  • ½ cup white rice
  • 4 ounces lean beef
  • 4 cups water
  • Brown sugar, honey or maple syrup to taste after cooking

Many of the herbs that can be added to the congee can be found at Asian grocery stores. My own personal favorite recipe for cold winter days was a variation on chicken noodle soup:

  • 2 sticks of astragalus root
  • ½ cupe white rice
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 2 carrots chopped
  • 2 chicken legs (lots of healthy goodness in the bones and marrow)
  • 4 cups water
  • Little bit of salt or soy sauce to taste after cooking

Congee can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner and will provide your body with a very basic but very nourishing source of food when you don’t feel up to eating normally. Once you try it once, it will become something you make for yourself regularly when your body needs some extra TLC.

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