Rice Three Ways for Comfort and Healing
The majority of the world eats some sort of whole grain with legumes as a main source of nourishment. In the Nepali culture, most people eat rice twice a day, so it’s unsurprising that I grew up with rice, legumes, and lots of veggies as the basis of most meals. Rice is very comforting and healing, and with transition of weather on the horizon, I wanted to share three of my favorite rice dish recipes with you.
From the Chinese Medicine perspective, every food and herb have specific energetic qualities and properties that connect to various meridians, each with functions and indications, taste, and temperature, giving us the ability to personalize food according to each person’s unique needs. Rice is a sweet, neutral food that connects to the Spleen and Stomach organ systems. All rice and whole grains tonifies the Qi and Blood. It nourishes the digestive functions and is also good for coughs. Whole grains, legumes, and seasonal vegetables are a great way to support your digestion and overall health during transition between each season.
Kichadi (or Kitchari) is a nourishing one dish meal, rooted in Ayurveda tradition. It supports digestion and helps to maintain good health. Kichadi consists of rice, spices, and some sort of legume. In Chinese Medicine, the mung bean legume goes to the Stomach and Heart organ systems, so not only is it good for the digestion but can also help calm the mind. In the South Asian culture, Kichadi is given to babies as their first solid food and is often eaten when one is not feeling well. It was something I grew up with and I raised my twin girls on Kichadi, using a recipe my Mama shared with me. It was always a go-to comfort food in later years whenever the twins were not feeling well or needed some extra love and attention. I go back to this delicious and comforting food anytime I need to recenter myself. These days, I see that Kichadi is sometimes used as a gentle full-body cleanse and eaten for 3-7 days for every meal to reset and renew the body and mind during seasonal changes. With all its healing properties and ease on the digestive system, it’s a simple and nourishing way to reset the body.
Congee is a popular rice porridge that is traditionally eaten in East Asia for breakfast. Delicious and nutritious, Congee is a combination of various grains, beans, vegetables, meats, eggs, and Chinese herbs. These porridges promote a healthy digestion, maintain good health and as a supportive treatment for a variety of illnesses. I am grateful to have learned this tradition from my Chinese Medicine education. Please consult with me or your Chinese medicine practitioner for medicinal Congee recipes.
Risotto is an Italian dish I discovered on my travels to Italy in my early twenties with my now husband. When I was first introduced to this delicious Risotto, I immediately felt a sense of familiarity and comfort as it reminded me of Kichadi. I have to be honest and say, it is now my favorite dish. The naturally creamy, sweet Italian rice and savory aged parmesan cheese is comfort food at its best. We often add seasonal vegetables like asparagus or sweet peas for taste and variety. My favorite version, however, is the classic golden risotto Milanese, made with saffron. “Sunshine risotto,” as my daughters called this dish when they were little, was on heavy rotation in our multicultural family home.
Without further ado, here are my favorite rice recipes: Kichadi, Congee, and Risotto. Let me know which dish you try!
Kichadi Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 cup basmati rice
¼ cup split mung beans
2 tbsp ghee or olive oil
1/4 cup diced onions
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 sweet potatoes, diced (optional)
1 carrot diced finely
½ cup peas
½ cup green beans diced
4-6 cups of water
For a more robust flavor, add
¼ tsp cumin seeds dry fried
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1 cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods
Directions
Rinse the rice and mung beans very well. If possible, soak the washed mung beans for 3-5 hours.
In a medium size pot, heat the oil.
Add the onions and spices, cook for 3 minutes until fragrant. Add the veggies and sauté for few additional minutes.
Add the rice and mung beans, stirring few minutes, then add water and salt and cover for 45 minutes. Simmer on low heat.
If you want a more stew like consistency, add more water. I prefer a more pilaf-like fluffy rice.
Sauteed leafy greens and a protein of choice can be added to make it a whole meal.
Enjoy with fresh cilantro and squeeze of lime!
Basic Congee Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 cup of white rice of choice or millet
6-8 cups water or chicken broth
2 Tbsp minced ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic (skip for sweet congee)
Optional sweet garnish for individual bowl
Raw honey
Nuts and seeds - walnuts, pumpkin seeds
Seasonal Fruits – blueberries, pears, goji berries
Optional savory garnish for individual bowl
2 Tbsp scallions or chives thinly sliced
Sauteed seasonal veggies and/or protein of choice
1 Tsp sesame oil
1 Tsp tamari or pinch of salt
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1-2 sheets of nori
Directions
Rinse the rice well. Place the first 4 ingredients in large pot. Bring it to a boil and then simmer on low heat, covered, for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally to make sure it isn’t sticking. The congee is ready when the rice is soft and the consistency is that of a porridge. Add more water if it looks too thick.
Serve in individual bowls and season with sesame oil, tamari, and garnish with the scallions, sesame seeds and crumbled nori sheets.
I love to add a soft boiled egg, sautéed shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, and Trader Joe’s “Furikake” a Japanese sesame seasoning with seaweed and a pinch of homemade hot sauce for a most nourishing meal.
This basic congee recipe is good for everyone and should be viewed as a guideline from which you can make your very own creations. Enjoy!
Note: A crock pot or a slow cooker also works very well for congee and can be left to cook overnight so that you can have a warm and nourishing breakfast. It is said that the longer it cooks the more “powerful” it becomes.
Risotto Recipe
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
2 cups heaping Arborio or Carnaroli rice
6 cups chicken broth
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup white wine (optional)
1 cup finely diced white onion
½ cup parmesan cheese (optional)
1 bunch asparagus cut into ½ inch pieces, tips separated and set aside
Directions
Wash the asparagus well. Bend the stalk so that it naturally snaps. The more fibrous end of the stalk can be saved for stock. Cut the remaining asparagus into ½ inch pieces and separate the tips from the stem.
DO NOT wash or rinse the rice.
Heat the chicken broth on low heat.
Heat a large pot on medium heat and add EVOO. When heated, add onions, cook for few minutes till translucent and fragrant. Add the rice and sauté for a couple of minutes. You want every grain coated in olive oil.
Add your wine and keep stirring. Stirring frequently is the key. When the wine is entirely evaporated, add the cut asparagus, but do not yet add the tips (they are tender and require less cooking time).
Add a couple ladles of chicken broth, stirring almost all the time. Continue this process each time, adding 2 ladles of broth at a time, stirring all the time. When the liquid has been evaporated and/or soaked up by the rice, add more broth.
After about 10 minutes or so, add the set aside asparagus tips. Keep stirring and adding a broth, a little a time, until the rice has reached your desired level of tenderness - about 20 minutes total, or so. When the rice is ready, turn off the heat and stir in your parmesan cheese.
I like my risotto quite creamy, so I often add just a little more broth before adding the cheese. In our household, we like the risotto “al dente”, a little less cooked, the Italian way. Please cook longer for a softer texture.
The leftovers are often made into a risotto-cakes. Simply make flat patties with your hands and pan fry with olive oil until golden brown.
I thoroughly enjoy the process of making risotto, but in case you may not have the time to make this, here is an easy and delicious alternative risotto recipe for the Instant Pot.