“In the food, we eat in order to sustain life, we should promote the simple and wholesome. We should not allow what we eat to injure our body, nor let the five flavors do battle with our five organs.” - Compendium of Food and Drink 1591

ESPECIALLY GOOD FOR

One particularly important dish for Autumn is congee. Congee (known as zhou in Mandarin or jook in Cantonese; 粥) is a type of porridge made with rice and has a similar consistency to runny oatmeal.

One congee that is appropriate in Autumn is plain rice congee with a lily bulb. Lily bulb is a Chinese herb that has the ability to moisten and nourish the Lung’s Yin. It can treat shortness of breath, dry cough, and sore throat with coughing. It also has a calming effect on the Heart-Spirit and can be used for insomnia, agitation or restlessness. Other ingredients to add in Autumn congees include pork, leeks, fresh ginger, sesame seeds, or pine nuts.

INGREDIENTS & DIRECTIONS

The basic method of preparing congee is to boil plain rice of just about any sort in water at about a 1 to 8-10 ratio (i.e., for 1 cup of rice use 8 to 10 cups of water). The rice should be cooked for at least 30 to 45 minutes until the rice starts breaking apart and the entire mixture has a smooth milky-white appearance. All sorts of herbs, foods, stock, or condiments can be added into this base porridge depending on the taste preferences or health status of the person eating it. Even by itself, congee is both moistening and warming, an appropriate combination for dry and cold weather.