Combining soft slow-cooked rice with earthy mushrooms and soy infused radishes, silky mushroom congee with roasted radishes is a big hug in a bowl.
This recipe for silky mushroom congee with roasted radishes takes me to such a happy place; it is a perfect bowl of comfort. Our little corner of the world is wet and cold and while my skin tingles every time I walk out the door I have continued training for a half-marathon. With each step my mantra has changed from “I can do this, I can do this” to “You’re an idiot, you’re an idiot.” After a run and a deliciously hot shower this congee is such a blessing, it’s warmth radiates through the clay bowl to my frost gnarled fingers. It’s just like a big old hug.
Rice cooked in stock doesn’t sound terribly sexy, I know, but slow cook the rice in good quality stock and a sort of alchemy occurs. Somewhere on it’s journey to deliciousness, the rice and stock combine to create a smooth, almost silken consistency. Add garlic, ginger and sesame oil to the mix and this rice dish gets terribly sexy, you know…for a bowl of rice.
I paired this congee with earthy mushrooms and a side of slighty salty roasted radishes. Congee plays well with so many foods such as pickles, kimchi or sautéed vegetables but we have recently planted radishes and I was super excited to begin experimenting.
I am so glad I did. Raw radishes have a sharpness that can be overpowering in any dish but roasting them changes their modus operandi. Roasted radishes are subtle with just a hint of their former heat combined with a slight sweetness. While they could easily be pickled to offset the creaminess of congee, I am a roast radish convert.
This congee recipe screams comfort, simplicity and balance. The combination of sweet, slightly tart radish, creamy rice and earthy mushrooms creates a full, balanced bowl that satisfies but doesn’t overdo. Happy places should always be so easy to find.
After shooting these images, the husband and I sat in our window seat with the rain washing over the windows and ate the spoils of our work. Outside even the trees appeared to shiver but inside our little nook, bowls of silky mushroom congee with roasted radishes in our hands, the world was toasty and warm. In that moment before we remembered one of us had to pick the elf up from playgroup, I enjoyed a perfect Winter moment. I also enjoyed winning Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who picked up the elf. Simple pleasures.
Silky Mushroom Congee with Roasted Radishes
Ingredients
- Congee
- 1 cup medium grain rice rinsed well
- 8 cups chicken-style vegan or vegetable stock
- 2 tbs grated young ginger
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sunflower
- 1 pinch salt
- 6 swiss mushrooms washed and sliced
- 3 spring green onions, sliced finely
- 1 teaspoon tamari
- Roasted Radishes
- 1 bunch fresh radish washed, leaves removed
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sunflower
- 1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
- a pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- To make the congee, heat the sunflower and sesame oil slightly.
- Add the garlic, ginger, rice and stock and bring to a soft boil.
- Turn the heat down to very low and cook for 1 hour or until soft and silky, stirring every 10 minutes. I cooked mine to a loose, soupy consistency but you can cook longer for a firmer version.
- To make the radishes, pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
- In a small roasting pan toss together the sesame and sunflower oil, the radishes and sea salt.
- Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Toss through the soy sauce and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with a small handful of the sliced spring onions and set aside.
- In a small sauté pan, heat a dash of sunflower oil and sauté the mushrooms with a pinch of salt until cooked.
- To serve, spoon a ladle of congee into a bowl. Top with the fried mushrooms and a good pinch of sliced onions.
- Slice the roasted radishes in half and place on top. Drizzle with a tiny amount of tamari and serve.
![Autumn arrived today and it is officially soup weather. As a kid my favourite soup was chicken noodle. These days I can still enjoy a bowl minus the bird. This birdless version from my cookbook #greatveganmealsforthecarnivorousfamily uses jackfruit to add texture to the crazily authentic and flavorful broth. Takes me back to my childhood. 💚
4 to 6 servings1 (14-oz [400-g]) can jackfruit
2 tbsp (30 ml) tamari
⅛ tsp white pepper
1 tbsp (10 g) nutritional yeast
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, finely sliced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
2 tbsp water plus 2 cups (503 ml) for
the soup broth
Zest of 1 lemon
4 cups (1 L) vegetable stock
Handful (around 3 oz [85 g]) dried
spaghetti, broken
1 cup (30 g) baby spinach, finely
sliced
Good pinch sea saltDrain and rinse the jackfruit and cut each one into thin slices from the longest point of the triangle. Put the sliced jackfruit in a bowl with the tamari, white
pepper and nutritional yeast and stir to combine. Set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the olive oil to a large soup pot or saucepan and heat over low heat. Add the garlic, onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves and thyme and
saut. for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of water. Cook
covered, for around 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, add
the second tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil to a skillet and heat over medium heat.
Add the jackfruit and sauté for 5 minutes, pulling it apart gently with a fork as you
cook. Stir the shredded jackfruit into the vegetables, add the lemon zest, stock and
remaining water, and bring the soup up to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for
20 minutes. Add the broken spaghetti, cooking for another 7 minutes. Remove the
bay leaves and thyme, stir in the baby spinach and season with sea salt. #letscookvegan #fromscratch #foodstyling #meatlessmonday #makeitdelicious #tastingtable #eatplants #worldwideveganfood #goop #thecookfeed](http://scontent-ort2-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/9b62eb225aa88c73717b1f85ec8d6d6a/5D81B1E8/t51.2885-15/e35/s320x320/53425017_2026465847655903_4310692797615736546_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.cdninstagram.com "Autumn arrived today and it is officially soup weather. As a kid my favourite soup was chicken noodle. These days I can still enjoy a bowl minus the bird. This birdless version from my cookbook #greatveganmealsforthecarnivorousfamily uses jackfruit to add texture to the crazily authentic and flavorful broth. Takes me back to my childhood. 💚
4 to 6 servings1 (14-oz [400-g]) can jackfruit
2 tbsp (30 ml) tamari
⅛ tsp white pepper
1 tbsp (10 g) nutritional yeast
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, finely sliced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
2 tbsp water plus 2 cups (503 ml) for
the soup broth
Zest of 1 lemon
4 cups (1 L) vegetable stock
Handful (around 3 oz [85 g]) dried
spaghetti, broken
1 cup (30 g) baby spinach, finely
sliced
Good pinch sea saltDrain and rinse the jackfruit and cut each one into thin slices from the longest point of the triangle. Put the sliced jackfruit in a bowl with the tamari, white
pepper and nutritional yeast and stir to combine. Set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the olive oil to a large soup pot or saucepan and heat over low heat. Add the garlic, onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves and thyme and
saut. for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of water. Cook
covered, for around 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, add
the second tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil to a skillet and heat over medium heat.
Add the jackfruit and sauté for 5 minutes, pulling it apart gently with a fork as you
cook. Stir the shredded jackfruit into the vegetables, add the lemon zest, stock and
remaining water, and bring the soup up to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for
20 minutes. Add the broken spaghetti, cooking for another 7 minutes. Remove the
bay leaves and thyme, stir in the baby spinach and season with sea salt. #letscookvegan #fromscratch #foodstyling #meatlessmonday #makeitdelicious #tastingtable #eatplants #worldwideveganfood #goop #thecookfeed")
this sounds delicious, and so comforting! I love savoury dishes at any time of the day, and mushrooms are way up on my list of umami rich foods to enjoy:)
Thanks Ceecee! I love this combination too. The radishes have been a revelation.
I must say looks good.
This looks and sounds like a perfect way to warm up and fill up :). Loooove rice in stock! The roster radishes look like little paradise apples. Sx
I love roasted radish, it’s my favourite way to eat them! This dish looks so warming and almost like a hug in a bowl 😉 Lovely recipe as always : )
Roasted radish is my new favourite vegetable. So delicious. I was dreaming of Summer with the last post but Winter won’t be ignored today. Thanks for the kind words. xx