This meal is an interpretation of the classic Chinese breakfast gruel with a focus on Ayurvedic principles. It uses white, aged rice like basmati or sona masoori, which are prized for their sweet, light, and cooling qualities. The recipe recommends using a starchy short-grain rice for the best consistency. You can customize the gruel by topping it with various ingredients such as bacon chunks, cooked shiitake mushrooms, green onions, sautéed shrimp, kimchi, poached egg, or seaweed to suit your taste.
2Green Onionswhite parts sliced thinly and green parts reserved
1tspGrated Ginger
1tspChinese 5 spiceor 1 whole star anise, or any blend of spices you fancy
1tspToasted Sesame Oil
Freshly Ground Pepper
Instructions
Combine the rice, bone broth and water in a pot, cover and let sit overnight either on your countertop if it is cool enough, or in the fridge
In the morning, add the ginger and green onion parts (and whole star anise, if using), cover and bring to a simmer on the stove top, making sure it does not boil over
Gently simmer the mixture partially uncovered, stirring often
After about 15 minutes, check to see if most of the liquid has been absorbed and the mixture has reached a porridge consistency
Remove the green onion and whole star anise (if using). Stir well, cover tightly and let sit for 10 minutes
Stir in the sesame oil, and season with salt and pepper
Adjust consistency to your liking with either bone broth or water. Garnish with the sliced green onions and other optional toppings
Notes
If you must use brown rice, the cooking time will be much longer – closer to 45 minutes.This is our interpretation of the classic Chinese breakfast gruel! Ayurveda teaches us that rice is suitable for everyone and is easily assimilated into our bodily tissues. In the West, white rice gets a bad rap, but Ayurveda looks more holistically at the digestibility of of food rather than singular characteristics such as fibre and bran. White, aged rice like basmati and sona masoori are highly prized because of their sweet, light and cooling qualities. For this recipe, try to use a starchy short grain rice for a good consistency. Do top with any of the following: bacon chunks, cooked shiitake mushrooms, green onions, sautéed shrimp, kimchi, poached egg, seaweed.
