Taro Mushroom Congee 香菇芋頭粥
Congee is a very common food in Taiwan. We eat plain congee or congee with sweet taro for breakfast together with some side dishes. Congee is also a great comfort food whenever we get sick or have upset stomach - it’s so easy to digest and can be so nutritious depending on what you put in the congee. The main and only two ingredients you need to make congee are just liquid (water or broth) and rice. The rest are all to your liking. You can add seafood, add beef, pork, chicken, vegetable, or just enjoy it plain.
This recipe is a vegan recipe; so instead of using chicken broth (which I usually do when I make other congee) I use kombu broth instead. The main reason I didn’t use vegetable broth is because the store bought ones usually have a deeper color, and I prefer to keep the color of my congee light and bright. But it’s all about personal preference. Any broth, or even water works. The broth here is one of the main umami sources for the congee, so choose whichever that works for you!
The main thing to pay attention to when making congee is to make sure to stir the congee often. This is to prevent the rice or any other ingredients from sticking and burning at bottom of the pot. Other than that, everything is pretty easy and straightforward!
Taro Mushroom Congee 香菇芋頭粥
Yield: 2-3 people generously
Ingredients
Sunflower oil, 1 TBS
Taro, 300-350g, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
Dried shiitake mushroom, 10 medium florets
Celery, 2 stalk, finely chopped
Ginger, 1” or more to taste, peeled and finely chopped
Shallot, 1, thinly sliced
White rice, ½ cup, washed and drained **see notes
Kombu broth, 4 cups **see notes
Salt, ½ tsp, and more to taste
White pepper, to taste
Snap peas, 1-2 peas, blanched and cooled. Finely chopped. (optional)
Instructions
Soak the dried shiitake mushroom in warm water for about 1 hour. Once softened, slice the mushroom and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large pot, add in the taro, stir frequently and cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the pot. Add in the sliced shallot to the same pot, cook for 2 minutes until translucent and the edges start to get crispy and the color starts to darken, add in the ginger and celery, stir to combine and cook until aromatic, about 1-2 minutes. Then, add in the mushroom, continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes. Return the taro to the pot. Add in the rice, the broth, and ½ tsp of salt. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to maintain a soft simmer. Cover and cook for about 25 minutes. Stir the rice every 8-10 minutes so the bottom won’t get burned. Once the rice is cooked, taste and season with more salt and some white pepper.
Serve hot. If desired, top with the snap peas for a pop of color and some crunchy texture.
Notes
It’s okay to substitute white rice with other grains, just adjust the cooking time accordingly
Any broth works here. but to keep kosher or to keep it vegan, Kombu broth is a great option! To make the kombu broth, take 15g kombu, wipe it clean. Add it into the pot with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove the kombu. Set the broth aside until ready to use.
Save leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat the congee in a pot with some more broth or water to bring it back to desired consistency.
