Photo by Farideh Sadeghin.
We're officially in the heart of winter, and it's literally and figuratively cold and dark for way too much of the day. The thought of hibernating for the rest of through March, waking up only to eat big plates of cheeto mac and cheese or penne alla vodka, sounds pretty appealing right about now.The only problem with eating excessive amounts of comfort food for every meal (besides it making you too damn happy) is that tiny issue of health and well-being. Enter congee, a classic comfort dish that is simultaneously delicious, nourishing, and devoid of the outrageous amounts of cheese and/or butter that are a vital cog in our wheel of traditional comfort food.People across Asia have been eating this rice porridge for centuries, and as Pam Yung, the creator of this version says, "it's a universal food that historically was made from very humble ingredients, and often as a way to avoid waste."
Yung wanted to put an American twist on the Asian classic, so she created this version with collard greens, sweet potatoes, honeynut squash, vegetable stock, and a whole lot of herbs. The Carolina Gold Rice middlins, or broken rice, create a texture that is simultaneously al dente and velvety in every bite.Best of all, a bowl of this congee for breakfast will make you feel a hell of a lot better about eating that cheeto mac and cheese for dinner.RECIPE: Harmony Congee