Let’s talk about congee. It’s that soupy, rice porridge stuff that’s basically comfort food for half the world and a mystery to the rest. Now, don’t roll your eyes just yet. I promise, this isn’t your grandma’s bland, hospital-grade gruel.
I’m talking the ultimate vegetarian congee with mushrooms and soft-boiled eggs. Imagine a bowl packed with umami from the mushrooms and perfectly gooey soft-boiled eggs that make you question why you ever settled for plain old oatmeal.
Ready to transform your breakfast routine? Let’s get started.
Ingredients
Congee
- 6 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 cup short-grain or glutinous rice
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 4 to 8 cups hot water
- One 2-inch knob of ginger, peeled and diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced
- 1 small head of bok choy, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
- 1 whole green onion, finely chopped (for garnish)
- 1 teaspoon sauteed garlic (for garnish)
- Soft-Boiled Eggs – 2 to 4 eggs (depending on the number of servings)
Instructions
Congee
1. Prepare Mushrooms
Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in enough hot water to cover them. Once they are soft, discard the water, drain the mushrooms, remove the stems, chop coarsely, and set aside.
2. Rinse Rice
Rinse the rice once and set aside.
3. Cook Rice
In a medium saucepan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the rice and 4 cups of hot water.
Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat to very low, allowing it to gently simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water as necessary to create a creamy consistency.
4. Add Vegetables
After 30 minutes, add the chopped mushrooms, ginger, carrots, and bok choy. Let cook for another 60 minutes, continuing to add hot water and stir occasionally.
Stir and scrape the bottom of the pot every few minutes to prevent burning and sticking.
5. Finalize Congee
Once you have a nice, creamy consistency and most of the rice grains have melted away into the broth, add salt to taste.
Serve hot in individual bowls, garnished with chopped green onions and sauteed garlic.
Soft-Boiled Eggs
1. Boil Eggs
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Gently add the eggs and boil for 6-7 minutes for soft-boiled eggs. Adjust the time if you prefer your eggs more or less cooked.
2. Cool Eggs
Once cooked, transfer the eggs to an ice bath to cool for a few minutes.
3. Peel and Serve
Carefully peel the eggs and add one to each bowl of congee.
Nutrition
- Calories: 372kcal
- Carbohydrates: 73g
- Protein: 10g
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 1g
- Cholesterol: 2mg
- Sodium: 2179mg
- Potassium: 641mg
- Fiber: 6g
- Vitamin A: 9800IU
- Vitamin C: 21.5mg
- Calcium: 70mg
- Iron: 4.5mg