Enjoy Vegetable Congee for a warm and comforting breakfast. This Vegan Congee Recipe is nourishing, delicious and easy to make. It's a perfect recipe to make on a slow morning, or make it the night before and simply reheat it in the morning.
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Oats and Grains, Savory, Soup
Special Diet Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Rinse the rice well and drain. In a large pot, add the rice, vegetable stock or water, and ginger. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, as the rice is cooking, in a large bowl, soak the dried mushrooms in 4 cups of warm water. Set aside. Peel and cut the sweet potato into 1-inch cubes. Set aside. Wash and cut the collard greens into 1-inch strips, removing any tough stalks. Set aside.
When the congee has been cooking for 45 minutes, and the mushrooms are fully rehydrated, add the mushrooms into the congee. Slowly pour in the soaking liquid, discarding the last bits of liquid where any dirt and grit may have accumulated. Stir in the sweet potatoes. Cover and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, for another 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes have passed, stir in the collard greens. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 15 minutes. At this point, the rice grains should have fully softened and absorbed most of the water. If the congee is too watery, simmer without the covering the pot to allow some steam to escape for the last 15 minutes. If the congee is too thick, you can add additional water as needed.
Serve warm with desired toppings. I love this Vegetable Congee with topped with kimchi, green onions, a splash of soy sauce and a bit of hot chili oil.
PREPARE THE NIGHT BEFORE. You can make this congee the night before, cover and store in the refrigerator. I'll often start cooking a pot of this when I start preparing dinner. That way the congee can cook, cool and be put in the refrigerator before bed. Alternatively, enjoy some congee for dinner, and have the leftovers in the morning. Simply heat up the congee in the morning before serving.
Notes
This recipe is written for dried mushrooms that can be soaked and ready to use in approximately 30 minutes. Most any dried sliced mushrooms will work for this recipe. However, you can use whole dried mushrooms too. The only difference is that you will need to factor in enough enough time to for the mushrooms to rehydrate.I recommend using dried mushrooms in this recipe because the soaking liquid will add additional flavor and depth to the congee.