5 from 2 votes

Food Stories is a column in which Best of Vegan community members share recipes from their cultures and personal stories connected to those dishes. Today, Christine Wong of Conscious Cooking shares her recipe for vegan congee (otherwise known as “jook) – a savory rice breakfast soup.

This recipe was featured in ’s profile for the weekly BIPOC Portraits series by Val and Mani Latifi, where they interview vegan creators and shed light on the unique challenges BIPOCs face in making the decision to embrace veganism. Click here to see the full article.

Congee 粥 (or “jook”) is one of the most comforting ways to start the day. My grandmother would usually make this thick, savory rice porridge from any leftovers from the night before for breakfast the next day. Growing up, whenever I was feeling under the weather, I would always have plain ‘white’ congee 白粥 without any toppings or seasonings as a good reset. It’s the simplest of foods, where a little bit of rice with water goes a long way. Most of the time, I like to add chopped leafy greens, shiitake mushrooms, lots of ginger and white pepper to mine. A handful of roasted peanuts is also a good crunchy compliment.

Recipe shared with permission from Christine Wong of Conscious Cooking.

Vegan Congee 粥 (“Jook”)

5 from 2 votes

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Author: Christine Wong | Conscious Cooking

Ingredients

▢ ½ cup 115g white or brown rice, slightly rinsed
▢ 5 + cups 1+ liter water
▢ 1 tsp salt
▢ Garnishes: chopped scallion slivers of fresh ginger, peanuts, shredded kale, kimchi, seaweed, etc
▢ White pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large heavy-based pot rinse and drain the rice and water. Bring to a boil. For the first few minutes, skim off any froth that rises to the surface.
Leave the cover slightly open – I rest a pair of wooden chopsticks on the rim of the pot to keep the lid ajar. When it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to a gently-rolling simmer for an hour and a half, stirring occasionally.
If the mixture starts to look too thick, add a bit more boiling water as you go. It should look like, well, porridge. Stir in the salt. Serve hot with any fresh garnishes.