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    Home » Rice, Noodles, Potatoes » Vegetarian Congee – Quick & Heartwarming

    Vegetarian Congee – Quick & Heartwarming

    by Lainey · Posted: Sep 12, 2019 · This post may contain affiliate links ·

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    delicious and healthy vegetarian congee in a black bowl

    Congee is a popular rice dish in the Philippines that is loved by everybody! It’s heartwarming, delicious, and great to eat for breakfast or on those days you feel sick or cold!

    delicious vegetarian porridge in a black bowl with boiled eggs, toasted garlic, and green onions

    I love Congee- it brings me back to those days where I had no responsibilities except to sleep and eat. Nowadays I usually eat Congee on those cold days, for breakfast, or when I feel under the weather.  Like many Filipino Recipes, this is my way to make Congee. Enjoy!

    What is Congee:

    Congee is a rice dish popular in Asian countries and is commonly served to children who feel sick because it’s so heartwarming- it brings comfort.

    The consistency of Congee is sticky since many people use sticky rice.  Some people use regular rice or even brown rice, but I found using brown rice didn’t get the sticky consistency as sticky rice.

    And what makes it tastier are the spices that are included in the ingredients such as garlic, onion, shallots, ginger, turmeric, soy sauce, sesame oil, and the list can go on.

    Most people add in chicken meat to Congee, but for vegan/vegetarians like me, we have many choices as a substitute to meat or you can just simply use mushrooms. My favorite kind of mushrooms to use in Congee are shitake mushrooms, but feel free to use what you have available.

    Read on below on what delicious meat substitute I added in!

    Tips and Tricks for Making This Vegetarian Congee Recipe: 

    • Giving time for the sticky rice to cook is always great when cooking congee. Having the sticky rice softened gives the congee a tastier sticky texture.
    • To save time in cooking the sticky rice, soak the rice in advance. Recommendations is at least an hour before starting to cook your vegetarian congee.
    • If you have fresh herbs like ginger or lemongrass, these are the best to use for the congee. But the powdered ones also works great!
    • When sauteing the spices like garlic, onion, and ginger, be careful not to burn them or your congee will turn bitter.
    • Feel free to use vegetable broth or vegetable stock with low sodium in place of water for more flavor.
    • If you can’t find fresh shitake mushrooms, dried shiktake mushroom works just as well. Be sure to soak it for at least 15 minutes before using it.

    How to Make this Vegetarian Congee Recipe:

    Gather the ingredients for this Vegetarian Congee and once the ingredients are all ready, let’s begin!

    • garlic, minced
    • white onion, diced
    • soy meat protein (depending on your choice of soy meat, you may need to soak it in hot water for 5 minutes)
    • ginger, minced
    • water
    • fresh lemongrass, minced
    • sticky rice washed and drained
    • turmeric powder
    • salt
    • mushroom powder
    • Pinch of pepper
    • Salt & pepper to taste
    • soy sauce
    • sesame oil

    Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat and add oil. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute:

    sauteing minced garlic in a sauce pan for vegetarian congee recipe

    Saute the garlic it becomes browned and remove half and set aside:

    golden brown garlic for vegetarian congee recipe

    Add onions and cook until translucent:

    sauteing onion with the garlic for vegetarian congee recipe

    Then add the soy protein and cook for about 2-3 minutes:

    adding soy protein to the sauteed onion and garlic for vegetarian congee recipe

    Add the ginger, water, and allow it to boil:

    adding ginger to the vegetarian congee ingredients

    Add the lemongrass to the simmering congee base:

    adding lemongrass to the boiling congee

    After adding the lemongrass, add the sticky rice, and cover with the lid, and allow to cook for about 15-20 minutes stirring continuously:

    adding in the sticky rice for the congee recipe

    Let it cook until the rice has softened and it looks like this, you can now season the vegetarian congee:

    cooked sticky rice in a ladle

    Add the seasonings and cook for about 2 more minutes. First, add the turmeric powder:

    adding turmeric powder to the simmering vegetarian congee

    Then add the salt:

    seasoning the vegetarian congee

    Add in the pepper:

    seasoning the vegetarian congee with pepper

    Finally, add the mushroom powder and mix well:

    seasoning the vegetarian congee with mushroom powder

    Finally, garnish with the browned garlic, green onion, and boiled egg and serve hot.  Also, feel free to season with soy sauce. 

    cooked vegetarian congee topped with boiled eggs, taosted garlic bits, and green onions

    Frequently Asked Questions for the Vegetarian Congee Recipe:

    Q: What’s the difference between congee, arroz caldo, and lugaw?

    A: Lugaw is simply put as porridge, and boiling the sticky rice and seasoning it with salt. Arroz caldo also has the same porridge base but it is more gingery and the main meat added to it is chicken. Congee is almost similar to rice porridge and has add-ons, depending on what place it is cooked. It is mainly a dish in the Asian countries and in Africa.

    Q: Can congee be cooked in advance and kept frozen?

    A: Yes, you can cook congee in advance. Just thaw it and simmer again to soften it. If you find it a little bit too sticky, you can add more water and season again according to your taste.

    Q: Do you need to soak the rice in water before cooking it?

    A: Soaking the rice for some time softens it quicker when you cook it. Saves you a huge cooking time!


    Some of my favorite breakfast recipes to eat with Congee:

    • Strawberry Banana Smoothie
    • Shakoy
    • Ampalaya 

    Additional Delicious Filipino Recipes:

    • Tofu Sisig
    • Buko Pandan
    • Cassava Cake
    • Halo Halo
    • Turon
    vegetarian congee in a balck bowl topped with boiled egg, green onions and toasted garlic
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    Congee

    Filipinos love to eat this delicious and comforting vegetarian congee on cold, rainy days – topped with boiled eggs, crispy toasted garlic bits, and green onions!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Cuisine: Filipino
    Servings: 2 -3 servings
    Author: Lainey

    Ingredients

    • 4 cloves of garlic minced
    • 1 med size white onion diced
    • 6 pcs soy meat protein pending on your choice of soy meat, you may need to soak it in hot water for 5 minutes
    • ½ tablespoon ginger minced
    • 4 cups of water*
    • 1 teaspoon of fresh lemongrass minced
    • 1 cup of sticky rice washed and drained
    • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon mushroom powder
    • Pinch of pepper
    • Salt & pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat and add oil.  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute or until it becomes browned and remove half and set aside.
    • Add onions and cook until translucent, then add the soy protein and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
    • Add the ginger, water, and allow it to boil. 
    • Add the emongrass, sticky rice, and cover with the lid, and allow to cook for about 15-20 minutes stirring continuously or until the rice has softened.
    • Add the seasonings and cook for about 2 more minutes
    • Finally, garnish with the browned garlic, green onion, and boiled egg. 
    • Serve hot.

    Notes

    *Feel free to use low sodium vegetable broth or vegetable stock for more flavor.
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