Rice Porridge (Congee) with Mushrooms and Miso Recipe

By Aly Miller

Congee is a savory rice porridge, cooked low and slow with vegetable or chicken broth. This traditional Asian and East Asian breakfast dish is easy to make, nutritious, and a great way to use up the odds and ends in your fridge. As a newcomer to this dish (I recently became obsessed with it at a congee popup in Queens), I take lots of liberties with the way I make it and how I garnish it. With the diversity of produce in our Coop, you can do the same!

The rice for this recipe is Lundberg Farm’s Organic Sushi Rice, grown by sustainable farmers in California. Our Nasoya Organic Extra Firm Tofu can be found in the refrigerated section of our coop. It’s a sustainable source of protein, and is one of the only plant-based proteins that contains all 8 essential amino acids. When paired with congee, it creates a nourishing, filling meal perfect for any time of day! Finally, the dehydrated mushrooms are porcinis, which come from one of our sustainable bulk suppliers.

Ingredients

1 cup arborio or sushi rice

3 scallions or one half onion, minced

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

6 cups stock or broth of your choice

2 tsp salt

1/2 cup dehydrated mushrooms, or 1 cup fresh mushrooms of your choosing, sliced

1 container Tofu

Hoisin Sauce

3 Tbsp honey or brown sugar

1.5 Tbsp miso paste

2 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp rice vinegar

1/2 tsp Chinese 5spice powder

1/2 tsp sriracha

Suggested Toppings

Roasted winter squash

Toasted Sesame Oil

Soft Boiled Egg

Directions

1. Start the congee. Saute ginger, and scallions in olive oil until softened, for 35 minutes. If you have it on hand, add a touch of sesame oil for more flavor.

2. Add rice and saute for 30 seconds, and then add the broth and salt. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer for at least 1 hour. If it looks like the rice needs more liquid, add as much broth or water to reach a consistency that you like.

3. Meanwhile, place the dehydrated mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let sit for 20-30 minutes and drain. Then slice the mushrooms and add to the rice. *If you’re using fresh mushrooms, simply add to the rice at this point.*

4. As the rice cooks, preheat your oven to 350 for the tofu.

5. Make the hoisin sauce by whisking all ingredients together.

6. Cut block of tofu into cubes. Then transfer into a baking dish and slather with hoisin sauce. You may not need to use the entire batch of sauce, so set the rest aside as a topping for your congee.

7. Bake tofu in oven for 35-45 minutes.

8. When congee is ready, ladle into bowls and top with tofu, and any other toppings you might have on hand.

Enjoy!