WHAT IS A CONGEE

According to most traditional medical systems there is no real distinction between food and medicine. Medicine is seen as a continuum of diet therapy, with food being on one side (the tasty, safe side) and medicine on the other (stronger, riskier) side. It is always wisest to start any treatment with dietary changes before embarking on a course of herbal medications and drugs. [Along this continuum is junk food, healthy food, medicinal food, herbs to take as part of the daily diet, mild acting herbs , and harsh acting herbs. We can add to the list over- the- counter drugs, mild drugs,drugs with tolerable side effects, drugs with harsh side effects, all the way to chemotherapy and radiation.]

Proper diet is viewed as the elixir of long life and vitality. Therefore, any health regimen should place great emphasis on the “healthy food” level as a disease preventative and long term treatment.

The backbone of most diet therapies is what is called “the clear bland diet,” otherwise known as a “mucus free diet” and lately called a” candida diet.” In the Asian medical model food is divided into two main categories- one is the “qi” category and the second is the “wei” category. Qi means vitality and wei means flavor. Foods rich in qi are full of vitality and nutrition. Examples include vegetables, grains and beans. Wei rich foods, on the other hand, are very nutritious, flavorful but are difficult to digest. Animal products (fowl, meat, and dairy) and sweeteners are examples of wei rich foods. The ideal is to eat qi rich foods and only using wei foods as a supplement. One way of enhancing the digestion of wei foods such as meat and eggs is to eat them in a highly digestible format such as in a soup or stew. And the best type of soup stew is a watery rice soup known in Asia as “congee.”

WHY CONGEE

Digestion is an extraction process. The nutrients in the food need to be extracted in order to sustain the body. In order for the body to extract the food, it needs a strong digestive vitality. In Chinese medicine this is called digestive fire. Cold and wei rich foods put a burden on the digestive process. Therefore, the ideal food is one that is most easily digestible and warm, such as a soup or porridge. (Note: If wei foods are added to a porridge, it becomes more “qi-like” because it has been pre-digested, therefore making it easier on the digestive process).

In fact rice porridges are the preferred food for people who are ill and have lack of appetite. The Chinese claim it has the ability to bring back a person from the brink of death (by promoting an appetite in an otherwise sick person).

The value of a congee is that it is very easy to digest. The prolonged cooking extracts the nutrients out of the rice and makes it easy to digest.

It is interesting that the Chinese character for "qi" is a pictograph of the steam wafting from a pot of cooked rice.

THE RAMBAM ON CONGEE

According to the medical writings of the Rambam, a person should eat foods only after his body is warmed. He also stresses the importance of eating foods that are easy to digest, commenting that a wise person eats a meal with very few ingredients, preferably all cooked together, such as in a congee. Rambam explains that different foods require different types of digestive processes, different acids and different enzymes from the body. Complex meals have the potential of weakening the digestion resulting in poor assimilation of nutrients and a production of pathogenic food byproducts which over time can damage the body. In the cooking pot, the different ingredients can “work their differences out” thus creating a balanced, harmonious dish.

HOW TO MAKE A CONGEE

To make a congee take one part grain: it can be any grain- millet, barley, wheat, brown rice or white rice (in Asia, white rice is normally used). Add 7-9 parts water. For a more watery congee add more water, for a thicker congee use less water. Cook overnight in a crockpot on the low setting or cook it in a pot, first to a boil , then on a low flame for at least four hours. Congee can be left simmering on the stove all day. Sometimes you have to add water midway through the cooking.

When you add herbs to the congee you have a very effective method of administering medicine. You can add beef, chicken or eggs and any assortment of vegetables. The taste of congee is bland. You may add some spices or seaweed for taste. For a sweat congee add yams, sweet potato, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and honey. Or try using raisins and other dried fruit. For a savory congee add some sea salt, whole eggs, pepper, and carrots. Leeks, aduki beans, ginger, fennel, mung beans and yogurt are also good additions.