Asian-Style Vegan Congee (Rice Cooker Recipe)
A light, nourishing Asian-style vegan congee made in a rice cooker. Simmered with cilantro and seasonal greens, then finished with Japanese chili oil for a gentle, healthy breakfast.
Equipment
- rice cooker
- Rice cooker cup
- Knife and cutting board
- small pot
- Spatula and ladle
- strainer
Ingredients
- 90 ml white rice short-grain, 0.5 Japanese rice cooker cup
- water follow your rice cooker's “watery porridge” marking; roughly 10 times the volume of rice
- mixed leafy greens (radish greens, turnip greens, mizuna, komatsuna, etc.), to taste
- fresh cilantro (stems and leaves separated), to taste
- Japanese chili oil la-yu, to taste
- salt to taste
Instructions
Cook the Rice Porridge
- Rinse and drain the rice.90 ml white rice
- Add rice and water to rice cooker following the watery porridge water level marking. * If your rice cooker only has a thick porridge setting, use that and add extra water later when simmering.water
- Select porridge mode and cook (about 45-50 minutes).
Prepare the Greens
- While rice cooks, finely chop the stems of leafy greens and cilantro.mixed leafy greens, fresh cilantro
- Cut leaves into bite-sized pieces.
Simmer the Stems
- Transfer cooked rice porridge to a small pot.
- Add chopped stems and simmer over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until tender.* Add water if needed to reach desired consistency.
Add Greens
- Add leafy greens and cilantro leaves, and stir briefly for about 1 minute.
- Turn off heat.
Serve
- Ladle into bowls.
- Drizzle with Japanese chili oil and season with salt to taste.Japanese chili oil, salt
Notes
- Watery porridge (go-bu-gayu / 五分粥) uses a rice-to-water ratio of about 1:10. Thick porridge (zen-gayu / 全粥) uses a ratio of about 1:5–6.
- For a mild, child-friendly version, replace the chili oil with sesame oil.
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Store plain rice porridge in the refrigerator for 1–2 days.
Add fresh leafy greens right before serving to preserve color and texture.