A
week ago, I spoke with an old friend who told me she had lost weight
and solved a few more chronic health problems through about nine
weeks of adopting a congee based diet. I had heard of congee from a
long since vanished practitioner of Chinese medicine I knew many
years ago.
Congee
is basically a gruel traditionally made of rice; a rice soup . The
heart of understanding congee is in the proportions. The basic rule
is 1/4 cup of rice to 4 cups of water: 60 grams of rice to 950
millilitres of water. [I actually have been using 1/3rd
cup rice or other dry food to 4, sometimes 5 cups of water.] That
produces less than 4 cups of gruel when finished [about 5 cups]. It
takes at least four hours to produce congee.
Now,
let's make it a little more interesting. Let's try 1/4 cup of
lentils with that 1/4 cup of rice. Let's make it brown rice too.
According to the rules that would make 8 cups of water and the time
it takes to boil it all down into congee, about four hours. Some
people will not abide any beans or legumes in their congee or indeed
in their diet. Quinoa is sometimes mentioned as a substitute. I
intend on trying this too. The combinations for this stuff are
endless.
What
I have done already since beginning this diet is make five batches of
congee. The first started as just described. I use organic products
and filtered or spring water because the cooking process is going to
concentrate anything I put into my congee pot.
In
addition to the basic ingredients, I add spices, salt and pepper and
add no more liquid and I also add up to a cup of fresh frozen organic
veggies again without any additional liquid.
Instead
of rice, I have used farro, an organic alternative grain to barley,
which cooks up a little faster. The second and third batches used
farro instead of rice. If you cook it long enough, each grain turns
into a small puff ball and then bursts. The lentils will cook down
and disintegrate first.
The
only fat in congee is whatever tiny amounts you choose to add for
taste. Frankly, it doesn't need any, but I might add a tiny amount
of some fat or oil and mix it in right before I serve it. I mean a
tiny amount too, a teaspoon is the absolute limit.
The
last batches have been based on organic white rice (very nice as rice
by itself) and organic lentils of various kinds. This last batch
used cilantro and celery run through a small food processor I have
that is quite handy for such things.
It's
been a week now and already I'm noticing changes. I've had a chronic
infection in my head for years affecting hearing in my left ear. The
doctor said it was an infection or an allergy. Congee diets are
known to remove toxins, remove allergies and restore health and
vigour. The idea is to replace as many meals as one possibly can
each and every day with congee.
The
amazing facts are that congee takes so little food, is so cheap to
make and so beneficial long term that it's amazing more people
haven't discovered it. I'll update this page to let you all know
how I proceed. Oh, my daughter found out what I've been doing and has decided to join me on this little diet adventure.
