Vegetarian Rice Congee
My version of a slow-simmered vegetarian congee with stock and sauteed mushrooms. A really filling and delicious savory breakfast!
Vegetarian Rice Congee
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Congee, or rice porridge, is one of my favorite savory breakfasts to make. Depending on the culture, it has many names all over the world, but is essentially slow-simmered rice. For some reason, it has never really caught on in the US, which is a complete mystery to me. This vegetarian congee is an easy version of the dish.
Congee, or jook, probably is not a weekday breakfast because the rice needs to simmer for a while to get really tender, but if you have the time, Vegetarian congee is a fantastic treat and one that most Americans haven’t tried.
Table of contents
Vegetarian or Vegan Congee
Congee will traditionally have some meat in it, but not much. Sometimes it will have some sliced pork or shredded chicken, but it’s very easy to make vegetarian. I just use vegetarian stock while simmering it and then top it with all sorts of sauteed vegetables.
If you wanted to make this vegan, the only switch you would need to make is to leave out the egg. Add all the vegetables, chiles, or herbs to make it your own after that!
What kind of rice to use for Congee?
The nice thing about congee is that you can use any rice for it really. But, depending on what rice you use, you’ll get different results. If you use a short-grained rice, it will almost all dissolve into a porridge. You won’t even be able to recognize it as rice.
Meanwhile, if you use a long grain rice, like jasmine rice, like I did for this recipe, it’ll have a bit more texture to it which I prefer.
If you happen to have leftover rice, then I would absolutely just use that. It’s easiest to make congee out of leftover rice since it is already softened and by simmering it you will quickly break it down.
Making the Congee Recipe
I normally make my congee in just a pot on the stove. The other option that’s easy is the slow cooker. You could also use a pressure cooker if you wanted, but it seems like overkill to me to bust out the big equipment for what is essentially boiled rice.
To get this started, you’ll also need some vegetable broth and a few dried chilies if you want to add some spice to the congee.
I usually start with 6-7 cups of liquid per cup of rice when I’m making congee and most of that liquid should be water. I usually do five cups of water, one cup of stock, and one cup of rice.
Bring the liquid to a simmer and then stir in your rice and let it simmer until it starts to breakdown. If the mixture gets too thick at any point, you need to add more water! My congee was almost done after 35-40 minutes of simmering and stirring occasionally. Once the congee gets to this point, you can start seasoning it. It’ll need a BIG pinch of salt and pepper for starters.
Taste as you season to make sure it has good flavor.
The cooking time on congee can vary drastically depending on the kind of rice you are using and if you are using leftover rice or uncooked rice. There’s not a perfect recipe for every case, but it’s also very hard to mess up. Just simmer and stir until the rice has a porridge consistency. If it is too thick, then add more liquid!
How to make this in the Slow Cooker
Since this is a simmered recipe, it’s pretty easy to adapt. Just add your liquid and rice and aromatics to your slow cooker and cook on low for up to eight hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
Once the congee is made, you will want to stir it well to make sure the rice is broken down and season it well, to taste, with pinches of salt, pepper, and maybe even a splash of soy sauce or sesame oil.
Making the Toppings
Most traditional congee dishes involve some sort of meat — pork is the standard. When I wanted to make a veggie version, I headed straight for the mushroom aisle.
I sliced up a few Shiitake mushrooms and crimini mushrooms and then sautéed them over medium high heat in a tablespoon or two of oil in a skillet. At the very end I hit them with a small drizzle of soy sauce just to up the savory flavors even more.
I also wanted to top my bowls with soft-boiled eggs, but those are optional.
Here are a few other topping ideas!
- Sauteed peppers and onions. Cook the peppers and onions slowly in a skillet until they are caramelized, almost like in a cheesesteak. Then add those to the congeebowls.
- Ginger and Garlic. You can add lots of aromatics to the broth while cooking to infuse your congee with flavors. Ginger and garlic are easy ones, but also dried chiles are nice.
- Cheese Congee. This is very not traditional, but if you stir in a little hard cheese (like parmesan) right at the end of cooking, it’s very good.
- Dessert Version. While I prefer a savory congee, it’s not too hard to swing this into the sweet category. Think about topping it with strawberry jams, peanut butter, and maybe a splash of cream or nutella.
Finishing the Vegetarian Congee
Topping options are infinite for this Vegetarian congee. Beyond the egg, I also added some fresh cilantro and chives and a few spoonfuls of chili garlic sauce. Green onions, fried shallots, or basically any herb would go great with these bowls.
You can get crazy with the toppings though. Any crunchy veggie works great. Anything pickled is a good idea. Anything spicy will find its way into my bowl.
Note on using leftover rice
If you want to use leftover rice for this, which is what I do in the cookbook, just decrease the liquid by about half since the rice is already cooked. It’ll take less time but the rice should still almost dissolve into a thick porridge. This is one of my new favorite breakfasts to serve people because it’s not on the standard American breakfast menu, but it should be.
My Vegetarian Congee Recipe with Soft-boiled Eggs
Vegetarian Rice Congee
Ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- 5 cups water
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 2-3 dried arbol chilis optional
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- Soft-boiled eggs
- Chili Garlic Sauce
- Fresh chives
- Fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Bring the water and stock to a simmer in a large pot. Reduce heat to medium and stir in rice. Let simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until rice thickens, about 30-40 minutes. If at any point the rice looks too thick, add more water.
- When the rice is a porridge consistency season it well with salt and pepper. Keep the porridge warm over low heat until you’re ready to serve.
- For mushrooms, slice thin. Add a drizzle of oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shrooms and cook until the mushrooms lose their liquid and soften, about five minutes. At the end of cooking, hit the shrooms with a small drizzle of soy sauce.
- Spoon congee into a bowl and top with mushrooms, soft-boiled egg, herbs, chili sauce and mushrooms.
Video
Nutrition
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Here’s my Tweet! https://twitter.com/jacrae21/status/323777522993094656
I put an egg on top of a lot of meals to spice them up. or throw on some za’atar which is delicious on so many dishes!
Sweepstakes please!
I do not do so well with hot/spicy. I tend to use different types/flavors of vinegar to brighten up food. As with spices a little splash of the right vinegar can make a big difference.
I like a little paprika on things… corn on the cob, baked avocado, garlic bread. I like the color it gives…. color makes everything taste better!!
Sriracha! And fresh herbs from the garden…
Shakin’ up breakfast again, I see. Looks delicious. I like anything spicy any time. Hot peppers and breakfast go together like peas and carrots.
This sounds very straightforward and delicious, but honestly, my rice cooker’s spoiled me — despite it taking longer to cook with, usually, I pretty much never cook rice outside of it now. I wonder if it would be possible to even do this in my 3-cup rice cooker, given how much liquid is necessary…?
anyways, answering the question: scallions are a must, and I know everyone goes “sriracha, sriracha” like it were a buddhist sutra, but I prefer mae ploy for topping my rice dishes. It’s sweeter, got more body, but still has just a little bit of kick. It’s awesome. As for veggies, I’ve been on a CRAZY radish bender recently, so I’d probably quick-pickle some sliced radishes and throw those on top.
Hey Zach, you definitely don’t want or need to use a rice cooker for this. The whole idea is to overcook the rice until it starts to breakdown so you just need a big pot with a lot of liquid. I don’t think a rice cooker could hold the required amount of liquid for it…
Fresh herbs are my go to. I can keep rosemary going thru the winter, but really am looking forward to fresh basil, oregano, and mint that we will have this summer. There is nothing like fresh basil!
I spice things up with chiles we grow ourselves. We focused on tabasco peppers and Malaylasian green hot peppers last year and preserved them in a few ways so depending on the type of dish I add the preferred spice!
here is my tweet https://twitter.com/saltedplates/status/323808941228318720
Lately I’ve been loving smoked paprika to spice up my meals!
Sriracha, hoisin sauce, fish sauce – all good bets!
On a regular basis I’ll buy a can of chipotle peppers and dump them all + adobo into the food processor. I pulse it really good then keep it in a jar in the fridge. I add a generous spoonful to almost every dish I make, including my eggs. I’ve yet to find a hot sauce that lives up to this simple technique. It’s especially good in chili or asian dishes. (Your sesame noodles recipe really rocks with it!)
Any excuse to pile in more garlic-chile sauce!
https://twitter.com/wmstrom/status/323824616835522560
Love the idea of an egg over the rice dish.
I actually miss congee. When I was in China, we had it daily for breakfast. It was an acquired taste (particularly since their version involved dried fish on top!). At home, I spice things up with fresh herbs from my garden and either Siracha or Chalula.
Hmmm — to spice up a dish, we tend to add sriracha, or smokes paprika, or chili flakes. To brighten a dish, we add lemon, champagne vinegar, or umeboshi vinegar!
Spice, spicy, spicier
I spice up my meals my using different herbs and spices
Hey Elena!
Congrats! You won the sweepstakes on Macheesmo. Someone will contact you shortly for contact information. :) Cheers! Nick
I use a lot of fresh seasonings and vegetables from the farmer’s market to add flavor to everything.
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/323848669835165696
I put Sriracha on everything!
I grow lots of herbs and peppers to cook with and of course sriracha!
Sriracha all the way!
Garam masala!
I like to change it up once and a while and have something hot and spicy like chili and rice.
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com
2nd entry tweet – https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/323871225820631040
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com
I like Taiwanese style pickles that you find in jars in Asian supermarkets. Like pickled cucumber, spicy bamboos, oh and salted egg.
Being deathly allergic to chilis and peppers, I find it difficult to add much heat to a dish. I use horseradish, ginger, and several other things for heat. Mostly I use herbs (cilantro, chives, basil, thyme, garlic, onion), vinegars, and citrus to flavor up my dishes.
I spice things up with Cumin and Saffron.
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/323916332934520833
I spice up my meals by trying veggies I haven’t had before or preparing them in a way that is new to me. I also like a little bit of garlic & onions & pepper.
tweet
https://twitter.com/Kellydpa/status/323917101775589376
I like to use all kinds of peppers and fresh herbs to spice up our food.
Your recipe sounds delicious. I would use this to make a chicken dish along with the rice. My family loves chicken.
Thanks so much.
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/323935028943917056
Me I top it with an egg as a matter of fact I just did that tonight! Timing is everything. :-)
I use seasonings to spice my meals up! I would use this to spice up my chicken and rice stirfry.
haven’t tried but
ENGLAND
LAYERED RICE PUDDING sounds lovely!
currently spice up our meals with ethnic spices and ethnic meals in addition to our staples
Oh yeah, I am loving the recipes I am finding on this site!
I’d use it in a casserole. :)
Rice is a great side dish for spicy foods, keeping the heat a little lower! It’s great for indian and southern fare. Tonight I had rice with jambalaya.
i add tobasco sauce
Try to add different vegetables and herbs to change the flavors
I would use it for dinner with a curry dish.
we spice up with soy sauce alot.
I use lots of fresh peppers in a lot of my meals
We often have seasoned fries.
I like a little heat in my food, so I often sprinkle some red pepper flakes into my recipes.
Tweet
https://twitter.com/clc408/status/324229704041242625
When it comes to spicing up my meals, it usually involves hot sauce, like Tapatio, Sriracha or my favorite chipotle salsa. Yum!
I put pesto on everything….MMMMmm
I spice up my meals by using fresh herbs and citrus!
I add ginger to many rice dishes to spice it and make it yummy.
I love to add rosemary to meals. It is good for you and it is delicious. With the rice though I would add in some spinach for a rice Florentine.
I love big bowl dishes like these where you almost have to be interactive while eating it, instead of just cutting it with a knife and eating it. This take some mixing and each bite can be different. Awesome..
I tweeted this giveaway on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/LIDARKSIDE/status/324514270350016513
I could use this for making rice balls covered in tomato sauce.
I like good old chicken and rice casserole. Simple and comforting. :)
chambanachik at gmail dot com
I grow herbs in my garden, and use them extensively to keep my homemade food interesting. For desserts in particular, I am a huge fan of substituting cardamom for cinnamon in many places. It makes the BEST rice pudding in particular.
I would use it to create my favorite, sesame chicken over rice.
tweet
https://twitter.com/eswright18/status/32459241441108377
hmmm…as far as spicing up my meals…i usually follow recipes and do as i am told in the kitchen – i need to branch out more! maybe i might toss in a bit of extra seasoning?
Wow that looks amazing and very creative! How do I spice things up? Oh that’s easy; garlic! lots and lots of garlic! I also reviewed this brand this week on my blog. LOVE it!! :)
Ooh this looks awesome. I think a little charshu and siracha with maybe toasted garlic would be awesome in this!
With lemons and lime juice
Thanks! Janna JOhnson [email protected] Janna johnson on GFC
I would use RiceSelect in my chicken and vegetable stir fry.
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/325369118259818496
Looks so good! We use a lot of fresh veggies to add more flavor to meals.
I would use it to make Thai Cashew rice
I like to add fresh ground pepper to spice up my meals.
I add some cumin or red pepper flakes to spice up meals!
I spice up our meals by making Takikomi Gohan (flavored rice) , my family loves it.
-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/326185368904949760
I love adding garlic or green onions whenever I can
My husband loves congee — even just plain. Sometimes we’ll add kimchee to spice it up.
Awesome recipe! I am vegetarian and love congee but rarely find it without chicken stock or meat- definatly making this soon.
I like to spice up my meals by making dishes from different cuisines- indian, japanese, lebanese, greek etc. i made a great persian lentil rice pilaf the other night!
id make taco rice wraps!
https://twitter.com/DesMoinesDealin/status/326870588259975168
i add herbs such as rosemary and curry spice
I add a can of Rotel to spice up my dishes.
i like to use chili powder
I like to add Mrs Dash blends to my meals.
tweet https://twitter.com/prizepuzzle/status/328995412721676288
I usually add peppers, whether jalapeno or habanero to my dish. Just enough to ad a kick but not overpowering.
i search recipes on line and try different foods
https://twitter.com/Merle0304/status/329329138903175169
I’ve been experimenting with and growing for myself all kinds of new peppers! It’s been a great experience.
we are pretty bland. If anything we use minced garlic, sometimes diced tomatoes to meals:)
jmatek AT wi DOT rr DOT com
I would use it to make fried rice. I used to make that all the time with stir-fried veggies, but I haven’t tried it in ages. It’s so delicious I should dig that recipe out and try it again.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/OneFrugalGirl/status/329429493506772992 onefrugalgirl AT gmail DOT com
I have tried this and love it with polynesian chicken.
dolniaks at consolidated dot net
https://twitter.com/smilekisses/status/329484141072633857
dolniaks at consolidated dot net
I like to spice up my meals by adding interesting ingredients and fresh herbs to make them more interesting.
amy [at] utry [dot] it
tweeted:
https://twitter.com/uTry_it/status/330219192777330688
amy [at] utry [dot] it
My tweet – https://twitter.com/L_A_Frances/status/330397613973188608
i love to add fresh spices and herbs
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/330787440002478080
I cook with a lot of spices and salsa.
Nothing boring about our meals!
Thank you.
Tweet @JalapenoMama
https://twitter.com/JalapenoMama/status/330805758402912256
I spice up my meals with variety – I try at least one new recipe for a main dish and/or side dish each week as well as a new dessert each weekend. Thanks for the chance to win!
I spice meals up by making favorite dishes with different ingredients! I try to switch up the spices to see what the result will taste like!
https://twitter.com/mrs_puddle/status/331291784061796353
I use lots of seasoning
i would make a chicken stir fry
tweet
https://twitter.com/MeandBells/status/331591699832901634
my kids love spicy foods so I love to incorporate spices and hot sauce to meals! I even carry hot sauce in my purse at all times!
tweet
https://twitter.com/1amypugmire/status/331618520590852096
I spice them up by adding extra spices, vegetables, or meats
https://twitter.com/MomOF2Boysz/status/331779097766285313
I put soy sauce on Chinese dishes and garam masala in Indian dishes and serve them over rice
Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
Tweet
https://twitter.com/MsCarolsueA/status/331950759845433347
Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
I love to use various spices.
Sriracha, hoisin sauce, fish sauce , great spices
we use diced tomatoes, garlic and cilantro to spice things up a little.
jmatek AT wi DOT rr DOT com
I use basmati rice (but now will use jasmati as well). I like using cloves, turmeric (love indian flavors), kung pao sauce and cayenne.
ky2here at msn dot com
https://twitter.com/ky2here1/status/332233178997719041
I use fresh mint and tomatoes to spice things up.
I like to spice things up by trying new recipes. There’s an orange chicken crock pot recipe I really want to try. I would love to try it with RiceSelect!
https://twitter.com/kytah00/status/332337752077107201
I SPICE UP MY RECIPES BY ADDING “NOT-YOUR-EVERYDAY” INGREDIENTS & SAUCY TOPPINGS!!
I try to add in at least one new recipe per week to our family’s meals. It really helps to keep the family from getting bored with the same foods.
I love their wild rice mix! I use it in chili.
http://twitter.com/imprfctbutloved/status/332496476758474752
would provide more dinner inspirations
I cook with coconut oil and add cayenne pepper.. I almost everything I cook these days.
dollhousecreation(at)gmail(dot)com
I would use the Jasmati Rice to make my cilantro-lime rice for my Pork Carnitas Burritos!
How about some good ol’ homemade hot sauce! :)
Thanks for the giveaway!
i like to add spices
i tweeted here: https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/332692196677529600
I spice up dinner by adding different seasonings and veggies
ajoy1332 at yahoo dot com
https://twitter.com/ajoy1332/status/332872729470582785
ajoy1332 at yahoo dot com
Not too spicy, but I would love to add this rice to paella or to my green curry
Sarachi sauce!
https://twitter.com/channynn/status/332948894986149888
I love adding jalapenos and chiles to my meals! Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
My stomach doesn’t like food that’s very spicy so I rely on a variety of herbs to liven up meals.
Tweet – https://twitter.com/willitara/status/333349039422717952
tweet–https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/333381463498162176
I would love to make a delicious stir-fry.
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
When I can’t use fresh herbs I tend to add in either dry mustard or cayenne pepper to spice my dishes up.
We have a wide variation in tolerance to spicy dishes in the family, so I tend to stick to those that are moderate, and keep some more intense flavorings to be added by those who want them. Rice is good because it can be adjusted to any taste.
I love experimenting with new ingredients and spices. One recent discovery I love is dukkah
https://twitter.com/tnshadylady/status/333599586755170305
I would use it with some chicken and veggies or make a pork free jambalaya
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/333656428130758656
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I use vinegars and lemon/lime to add flavor to dishes made with veggies.
I spice up recipes, depending on if its sweet/savory with some of the following.
Cumin (burgers, meats), Sriracha sauce (anything that needs spice), hoisen sauce (when you want a sweet kick in a savory dish)
I like to use fresh herbs (just got mine planted yesterday) and barring that, I love cinnamon and cumin.
hot sauce makes everything better
We tend to use cumin and cayenne pepper to spice up our recipes.
I normally don’t use a lot of spices, besides pepper flakes, but this rice would be awesome with stir fry
I use fresh herbs.
[email protected]
I like to use salsa to spice up my recipes.
My tweet
https://twitter.com/sparkedcat/status/334288224421822465
My family loves this rice with grilled shrimp and veggies on top!
I like to spice up my meals with spice. Sounds lame I know, but I like to try new seasoning salts and seasoning spice mixes etc. added to dishes I already make to give them a new twist! Rice is a great dish to do this with, because every spice makes the rice new!
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MsTofuFairy/status/334308171327885312
I spice up meals by trying new fresh herbs in my meals
https://twitter.com/sweeper785/status/334337592784998400
I haven’t tried congee before– I really would like to! We just never HAVE any leftover rice– my kids are carb addicts and scrape everything out of the rice cooker whenever I make rice. Since we cook a combination of Southern and Tex-Mex most of the time, rice is on the table several times a week, and we buy it in 25lb bags. I’d like to try rice pudding sometime, too . . . I haven’t had any since I was 11!
I make some spanish rice.
We eat a lot of stir fry dishes with rice and I want to try some of these varieties instead of our plain white rice.
we spice things up by trying to recreate restaurant dishes at home
I would use this rice in my cheesy beef rice casserole.
This recipe looks great. We eat rice a lot in my household and I have made something similar to this. Rice porridge with chicken and topped with some stir fried veggies like snap peas, broccoli, or even boiled corn. I’m looking into making new rice dishes and will probably try to bake rice with lemon chicken spiced up with herbs.
i followed you on twitter and tweeted
https://twitter.com/kissxmonkeybutt/status/334460589797699585
I add garlic and onions
yumm! i’d like to add flavor to my indian curry
I haven’t used a lot of different spices so to make my cooking more interesting I keep recipes that have new spices and try to make them at least once to add variety and spice to our dinner meals.
lisalmg25 at gmail dot com
I Tweeted: https://twitter.com/lisalmg/status/334482935753351168
lisalmg25 at gmail dot com
I’d make homemade fried rice!
I love adding cilantro with my rice and combine it with my sweet pork!
I spice things up by adding sliced apples or almonds in my dishes
I don’t know about “spicing” things up but I do LOVE using diced green peppers in my dishes, it adds some sweetness to it that I just adore! [email protected]
tweeted this : https://twitter.com/CaroleIngram4/status/334518317551345664 [email protected]
To spice things up we add fresh peppers and different types of veggies. :) Yum now I am starting to get hungry !!
I’d use the rice to make porcupine meatballs
I love to add in spices and sauces to give foods zing
https://twitter.com/klp1965/status/334666234522132481
I love using fresh herbs and making unique pairings
I tweeted https://twitter.com/FloydSara/status/334678153991712768
i add the traditional seasonings of my culture- adobo, sofrito, etc
I spice up our meals with lots of colorful fresh veggies from the garden!
I use a variety of spices to spice up my meals
https://twitter.com/tlcfromtn/status/334722814475124737
I usually add more seasonings
https://twitter.com/aes529/status/334731194233139200
I love adding different herbs and spices to my recipes.
I like using lots of herbs and spices and things like lime juice
I love to try herbs and spices in recipes to change things up.
I like to add chili powder to just about everything. It adds a depth to the dish.
Tweet https://twitter.com/happeegirl/status/334765655964401664
I use herbs and seasonings
https://twitter.com/thomasmurphy40/status/334794537920770048
I like to add new ingredients to old recipes
tweeted
https://twitter.com/daveshir2005/status/334816985806409728
This would be good for a rice pilaf.
I spice up meals with herbs like oregano and rosemary
tweet! https://twitter.com/LAMusing/status/334822712650387456
I spice up my meals by adding veggies and seasonings like garlic, cayenne, curry powder and sometimes hot sauce
https://twitter.com/disneyfan40/status/334861277350469633
I like like curry in mine.
I will spice it up with boiled egg fried , butter sauted mushrooms , some bhujia , sauted paneer with garlic.