The base for this mushroom congee recipe gets most of its flavor from the mushrooms, but it’s dressed up by the toppings that you choose.
This is a great warming dinner and is a perfect get-well-fast soup because it is gentle on your stomach.
What is Congee?
Congee is a kind of Chinese rice porridge. It’s made up of rice cooked up in extra liquid that breaks the rice down.
It’s great for breakfast or dinner and is my go-to when my tummy isn’t feeling that great.
There are variations of this dish in other cuisines too, but they are all a similar texture. They usually have a mild flavor, and you can amp it up with add-ins like fresh herb, sliced hot peppers, soy sauce, and more.
Can You Slow Cook in Your Instant Pot?
You already know that there’s a slow cooker button on your Instant Pot. So, of course, you can slow cook in it. However, some things are better left to the manual/pressure cooker setting.
I’m adding an article about slow cooking in your Instant Pot later this month, but the main gist is that it does not cook dried beans or bake on the slow cooker setting. The slow cooker recipes that will work the best will be soups and stews.
This congee recipe was created for the revised edition of The Vegan Slow Cooker, so it was created to cook slowly all day long. It’s a perfect way to try out your Instant Pot slow cooker setting.
Do I Have to Slow Cook Congee? What If I Want It Soon?
You do not have to slow cook it. If you want to add everything to your Instant Pot and cook on pressure cook/manual for 30 minutes on high pressure.
You can do either a natural pressure release or you can let it release naturally for 10 minutes and then carefully release the rest of the pressure manually.
What Kind of Rice Can Be Used in Congee?
My congee recipe uses brown rice and you can use long, medium or short-grain rice.
Traditionally, it’s made with white rice but it works just as well with most any rice since you are cooking it down to a porridge.
You can also use other grains like millet, black rice, oats, and even add in mung or aduki beans or corn. I have a recipe with many of those in The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for Your Instant Pot.
Just know that if you are having the stomach flu or other digestion and your Doctor suggests that you eat white rice for a while you can switch it out.
What Is the Water to Rice Ratio for Congee?
It really is about 8 cups of liquid to 1 cup of rice. So you can tell right now this is not the fluffy rice of your childhood but creates a texture much closer to oatmeal made with rolled oats.
Can You Freeze Congee?
You can freeze it! In fact, I’d recommend keeping a few servings in the freezer in case you catch a cold or come down with a virus.
It will hit the spot and you won’t have to expend extra energy making it.
More Recipes to Try
- Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas for New Year’s Day
- Instant Pot Online Class: Pot in Pot Cooking
- Easy Instant Pot Uttapams: Savory Indian Pancakes
- Easy Instant Pot Corn Chowder
Mushroom Congee (Rice Porridge)
Equipment
Ingredients
CONGEE INGREDIENTS
- 8 cups water
- 4 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 4 cups thinly sliced mushrooms: Use any combinations of: button , baby bella, shiitake mushrooms or your favorites
- 1 cup brown rice
- 3 tablespoons grated ginger
OPTIONAL SERVING INGREDIENTS
- Soy sauce
- Scallions
- Cilantro
- Chopped hot peppers
- Extra grated ginger
- Leftover cooked veggies
- Tofu cubes
Instructions
- The night beforePrepare the mushrooms and ginger, and store in the fridge.
- In the morningAdd the water, mushrooms, rice, and ginger to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 7 to 9 hours.
- To serve, place your chosen toppings on the table and let everyone make it their favorite way.
Carrie says
Is it 8 cups of mushrooms or 4 cups for this recipe?
Kathy Hester says
8 cups total.
Rach says
Hi, could I add chicken bouillon to the water in the slow cooker if I wanted to serve it with chicken? Or would that come out weird? (I’ve never tried this dish before)
Kathy Hester says
Since I don’t eat meat I really don’t know.
ashok says
My Family Loved it. I am definitely sharing Guys, Thanks For sharing this Great Recipe. this recipe and this website with my friend. Hope they also love it. Thank you again for sharing such a great recipe.