Healing Rice Porridge/Congee ("Magic Soup")

This Healing Rice Soup is a game changer when it comes to getting sick. It has been deemed “the magic soup” by friends and family that use this recipe as it seems to reduce the length of a cold every time. It will comfort you, speed up your healing, and feel like a warm, nourishing hug in food form! The recipe based on the concept of Chinese congee and teachings my mom learned while in school for Traditional Chinese Medicine with additions and alterations by both my mom and me. She made this for me and my sister for years when we were sick. She would make it in the morning, we’d eat it all day long, and notice improvement by the end of the day or the next day!

The Magic Soup is pretty simple and mild in flavor but has cozy undertones of ginger and garlic with salty and umami soy sauce and miso. The fresh green onions on top give it a needed punch of flavor, and similarly, a punch of raw plant medicine. If you really want to keep it simple, you can leave out the carrots and peas, but these ingredients give the soup some additional flavor, texture, and nutrition.

what is congee?

Congee is a grain porridge typically cooked until the rice or grain has broken down more/disintegrated. It has different names and forms in different Asian countries but is believed to have originated in China with rice being the most common grain used. It has been made for centuries, especially for those who are sick.

I’m usually too eager to eat it so I tend to eat it when it is more of a risotto-like consistency. If I’m home sick for the day, I will cook this in the morning, keep it on low heat and continue to stir and add water as needed throughout the day (which will cook it down to a more typical congee consistency), and eat it all day long.

Next time you’re sick, make this soup. I hope you can sense the ancient wisdom and motherly love that have been passed down into this recipe, and that it speeds up your cold recovery the way it has done for me!

what makes this soup so healing?

There are a few key things that make this soup so healing and beneficial when you’re sick.

• Rice, especially cooked down really soft, is very easy to digest, meaning the body can focus its energy on fighting a cold or healing rather than digesting.

• Garlic, ginger, and green onion are amazing for the immune system. They’re powerfully antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and loaded with antioxidants. These ingredients also help break down and expel phlegm and support the respiratory system.

• Miso is also great for the immune system. It is a fermented food (usually fermented soybeans), meaning that it is rich in probiotics (beneficial live bacteria) which supports gut health and, subsequently, the immune system. See the note in the next section about how to add the miso to the soup in a way that preserves these healthy bacteria.

*Tip: cook this in the morning and eat it throughout the day (for all meals and snacks) to keep your body nourished, warm, and fed with this medicinal food!

how to supercharge your healing soup

• Mince your garlic and then let it sit for 10 minutes before you cook it. Cooking it immediately essentially deactivates the most powerful component of the garlic (but it has to be sliced, crushed, or chewed to activate it in the first place).

• LOAD your soup with garlic, ginger, and green onion. The measurements I’ve written in the recipe are really the minimum you should be adding to truly reap the benefits. Add as much as you’d like or think you can handle.

• Add the miso paste at the end after turning off the heat and the soup is no longer boiling. Miso is fermented so it has a lot of probiotics/live bacteria that are super healthy and healing, and boiling it will kill off those good bacteria.

• Add some chicken, vegan chicken, or chickpeas for some protein if you’d like.

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the recipe

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Magic Healing Soup

Author: MADELINE APPEL

Ingredients

• 1/2 onion, diced (~1 cup)
• a couple carrots, diced (~1 cup)
• 1.5+ TBS grated ginger
• 1.5+ TBS minced garlic
• 1 cup white rice, rinsed
• ~6+ cups vegetable broth
• 1.5 TBS soy sauce
• lots of black pepper
• 1/2 cup frozen peas and/or greens of your choice
• 1.5 TBS white miso paste + water to thin
• sliced green onions, white and green parts
• a drizzle of sesame oil and/or sriracha for extra flavor if desired
• *chicken, faux chicken, or chickpeas if desired for some protein

Instructions

1. In a heavy-bottomed pot on low-medium heat, saute the onion and carrot until they’ve softened. Add the ginger and garlic and stir for a minute.
2. Rinse the rice, then add it to the pot with the broth. Cook for 25+ minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is fully cooked (extra soft) and has absorbed most of the liquid. Add more liquid as needed.
3. Add the soy sauce and black pepper to taste.
4. Add rinsed chickpeas or pre-cooked chicken if desired.
5. Stir in frozen peas and/or greens until warmed through.
6. At the very end, turn off the heat. Dissolve the miso paste in a couple tablespoons of water, then stir it into the soup.
7. Top with LOTS of chopped green onion and optional sesame oil or sriracha.