When I’m feeling under the weather is when my body seems to know what’s best for me. Aside from rest and relaxation, it tells me precisely what I should be eating for a speedy and full recovery.

If food is my medicine, then a vegetable rice porridge is a panacea for a cold of any size or duration! It’s heartwarming, herby, spiced, and slurpy enough to feel satisfying even to a sickbed sook 😛

I cook this less like a congee and more like a risotto, as I prefer the al dente texture of risotto rice, but love a fusion of flavours and textures between the warm, Asian spices of congee and the fresh, herbal aromas of risotto.

If you’re feeling under the weather, or just a bit down and in need of comfort food, whip up a pot of this, and you’ll be satisfyingly soothed about 30 minutes from now! Get cracking…! 😀

Flavour: Warming, herbed & spiced

Serves: 1 as a substantial sick-bed meal

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• half a medium onion, chopped finely
• quarter teaspoon salt
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced
• quarter cup arborio rice
• 3 cups vegetable stock (see here for my DIY recipe)
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into large dice
• quarter cup kale, coarsely shredded
• quarter cup cabbage, coarsely shredded
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
• generous grind of black pepper

Directions:

1. Finely chop your onion, and pop it in a small frying pan with the olive oil – crank heat up to maximum, and cook until the onion is translucent, stirring periodically
2. Turn heat down to medium, and continue to fry your onion, stirring periodically, until it starts to turn golden
3. Toss in your salt, garlic and ginger, stir, and cook for one more minute
4. Add your arborio rice to the pan, stir through the onion and spices, and return heat to high
5. Add 1 cup of vegetable stock, stir, and simmer – stir periodically to prevent the rice from sticking to the pan
6. When most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, add another cup of stock, and add the carrots to the pan – stir to combine, and continue cooking
7. When most of the liquid has again been absorbed, add the final cup of stock, along with the kale and cabbage – stir to combine, and continue cooking
8. After another minute, add the thyme and sage, and grind in as much black pepper as you like (I like heaps, especially when on my sick bed!) – stir in, and reduce heat to medium
9. Continue to stir your rice porridge for another couple of minutes until the mixture resembles a very runny risotto, and the rice is still al dente
10. Serve piping hot directly to the sick bed, with a little more black pepper ground on top to garnish!