Sweet Congee with Dates and Apricots

A staple breakfast food in China, congee is a rice porridge that can be made either savory or sweet. In this satisfying recipe, the warming notes of cinnamon and clove are combined with tart dried apricots to create a morning meal packed with flavor. Dates lend natural sweetness to the dish, but you could easily substitute them for a drizzle of maple syrup instead. Congee is a delicious way to use up leftover brown rice and is an incredibly forgiving dish, so feel free to get creative with the spices and toppings! Pumpkin seeds, fresh fruit, or a swirl of nut butter are all excellent additions to fuel your day with the power of plants.

Tip: Look for unsulfured dried apricots to avoid sulfur dioxide, a preservative that can aggravate asthma and food sensitivities.

For more vegan porridge recipes, check out these tasty ideas:

By Del Sroufe,

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cooked brown rice
  • ½ cup chopped pitted dates
  • ½ cup chopped dried apricots
  • 1 large stick cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • Sea salt, to taste

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan bring 2 cups water to boiling over medium. Stir in the first five ingredients (through cloves). Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 15 minutes or until mixture thickens into a porridge. Remove cinnamon stick, season with salt, and serve hot.

Comments (5)

(4 from 3 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Viraj patel

Good

Lee

Not a bad start but who has 4 cups of brown rice laying around? Why not give a recipe for brown rice congee from scratch? 1 cup rice 8 cups water Bring to boil and then simmer with lid slightly open for 2 - 3 hours until rice is entirely broken down. Flavor your congee base with sweet or savory flavors each time you heat up a bowl for breakfast. This is a weeks worth of breakfast and dinner meal prep in one pot.

Tatiana

I understand what you say, but a lot of people have rice already cooked. I usually cook a big pot of rice and freeze it in small portions. And because I eat rice almost every day, I usually have leftover in the fridge. I love when FOK shares recipes for those who wants to have new ideas on how to use the cooked rice.

Noreen

Am I reading this right? We cook cooked rice? How many servings will this make?

Karen D

Yes. Congee is rice that has been cooked a LOT so it becomes like oatmeal or porridge. You should no longer have individual grains when you are done.

About the Author

Headshot of Def Sroufe

About the Author

Del Sroufe

Chef Del Sroufe is co-owner and executive chef of Wellness Forum Foods, a whole-food, plant-based meal delivery and catering service in Columbus, Ohio. He is the author of Forks Over Knives - The Cookbook and Better Than Vegan. Del teaches cooking classes and helps people transition to a healthy plant-based diet.
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