Home made Congee or Rice porridge | HealthyLife

Congee is another name for rice soup or rice porridge. It’s made by cooking rice in a large amount of water for a long time so that the grains lose their structure, soften and distribute their starch throughout the mixture.

Congee or rice porridge can be made on top of the stove, but for ease and convenience a crock-pot works the best. Rice congee is beneficial for people with week digestion due to a poor diet or illness. Since it is light and easy to digest it is recommended for those too sick to eat solid foods. This liquid food can also be used as a supplement for nursing babies. It has good carbohydrates and nourishes school going children well.

How to make rice Congee

4 servings

• 1/2 cup rice
• 5 cups water.
• For taste add one can add 2 tbs of grinded coconut or coconut milk

Water and rice quantity:

Thick congee: 1 cup rice to 8 cups water

Medium congee: 1 cup rice to 10 cups water

Thin congee : 1 cup rice to 13 cups water

Preparation:

1. Wash rice and pour to boiling water
2. Cook rice till it becomes soft
3. Add grinded coconut or coconut milk during final boiling
4. Serve hot with ghee or butter and lemon pickle
5. One can add little salt for taste while serving
6. Also, onion, grated carrot, fried garlic – all these add more taste for the congee.

Nutritional facts: A cup of plain congee, made with just rice and water, has about 138 calories, 1.3 g of fat, 28 g of carbohydrates and 1.3 g of fiber. The same amount of pork congee with egg, however, has 208 calories, 10 g of fat, 170 mg of cholesterol, 16 g of carbs, 13.6 g of protein and no fiber. In contrast, 1 cup of plain cooked white rice has 242 calories, 0.4 g of fat, 4.4 g of protein, 53 g of carbs and 0.6 g of fiber (Source: Livestrong.com).

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