Nourishing Liver, Vegetable & Sweet Rice Congee

This sweet rice congee is smooth and delicious. Cooked in chicken bone broth, and loaded with carrot, spinach and chicken liver, this one-pot-meal is highly nutritious and particularly strengthening for the liver. 

I made a big batch of this liver, vegetable and sweet rice congee for the kids and me. I need myself some nourishing food that’s easy on digestion, and I need my kids to eat their organ meats. My boys had no problem finishing a bowl each with all the chicken liver in there. That’s a big win!

Congee As Food Therapy 

Congee is a very healing food in Chinese cuisine and traditional medicine. Plain congee is a great way to incorporate a variety of rice and legumes, such as the millet porridge and the forbidden rice & red bean congee. Savory congee incorporates a variety of meats, seafoods and vegetables. The ways to make congee are endless, not only for the different combinations of flavours but also for the amazing healing purposes.

Strengthening The Liver

The spinach and carrots contain nutrients so beneficial for the liver, such as beta carotene, iron, vitamin B, glutathione. Even more nutritious is the chicken liver in this recipe. There is the traditional wisdom of “like feeds like”, meaning that we can nourish certain organs of ours by consuming the same organs from animal sources. It makes sense because the organ meats we consume contain the same nutrients and building blocks we need.

When you buy chicken livers, I highly recommend buying from organic or hormone-free, antibiotic-free sources. I get mine from my local butcher shop in Markham. You may need to talk to your local small farms. 

I love the chicken liver cooked in this sweet rice congee. You will appreciate how delicious chicken liver is in a not so overpowering way. The trick is to cut the chicken liver pieces very small so they are well mixed into the congee resembling minced meat. 

Often time, we don’t cook and eat enough liver. I always have on-hand grass-fed desiccated beef liver for supplements. I use the Perfect Desiccated Liver Powder to mix into other foods, and take the Perfect Desiccated Liver Capsules individually as a quick energy boost. Use my code “YANG10” for 10% off your entire order when shopping at Perfect Supplements. 

Sweet Glutinous Rice

The sweet glutinous rice in this congee recipe is a kind of white rice. Even though I don’t usually advocate for eating polished rice of which most of the nutrients are removed, eating white rice for easy digestion is an exception. White rice congee is extremely easy on the stomach. They are often used for healing poor digestive functions in Chinese medicine.  

I use sweet glutinous rice, also called sticky rice, in this congee recipe, because glutinous rice gives a vey smooth texture and homogenized finish. 

In addition to eating sweet glutinous rice as regular rice or using in congee, the sticky rice steamed pork ribs is one of my favourite dishes and a fun recipe to make with your sweet glutinous rice.

Nourishing Liver, Vegetable and Sweet Rice Congee

This sweet rice congee is smooth and delicious. Cooked in chicken bone broth, and loaded with carrot, spinach and chicken liver, this one-pot-meal is highly nutritious and particularly strengthening for the liver. 

5 from 7 votes

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Course: Porridge

Cuisine: Chinese

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 496kcal

Author: Yang

Cost: $10

Ingredients

• 1 cup sweet glutinous rice
• 10 cups shiitake ginger chicken bone broth
• 1 cup chicken liver
• 2 teaspoons naturally-brewed tamari soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons cooking rice wine
• 1 cup shredded carrots (from approx. 1 large or 2 small carrots)
• 4 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 2 cups chopped spinach
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons chopped green onion

Instructions

• Rinse the sweet glutinous rice. Place rice in a large pot with the chicken bone broth. Bring the pot to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, chop the chicken liver into small pieces, and marinate the liver in tamari and cooking wine for 30 mins.
• Finely grate the ginger, shred the carrots, then add them into the pot of partially cooked sweet rice. Simmer for another 20 minutes.
• Chop the spinach and green onion.
• Stir the marinated chicken liver into the congee, then stir in the spinach. Add ground white pepper and salt to taste. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat, drizzel with sesame oil. Garnish with green onions as desired.

Notes

• When I don't have chicken broth on hand, I use an instant chicken bone broth powder dissolved in water. Use my code "YANG10" for 10% off your entire order.

Nutrition

Calories: 496kcal

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