Welcome! And I’m glad to see you could make it.

… Eventually!

Forbidden Rice Congee

Note: this recipe cooks overnight, and also calls for a slow-cooker. The rice and water are the only necessary ingredients, and the others are optional for your personal preferences. It’s a congee–you can add whatever you’d like!

Ingredients

1 cup forbidden rice, uncooked

4 cups water, distilled; more if needed

Eggs, optional

Spring onions, chopped, optional

Soy sauce, optional

Sesame oil, optional

Directions

1. Pour the rice and water into a slow-cooker and set on high. Wish it well and let it cook overnight.

2. In the morning you will see it has thickened and become more like a porridge. If you would like it to be more watery, simply add more water.

3. For the eggs, dig  little holes in the rice, and pour an egg into each hole. Cover and let it cook till till they’re set. Cooking it in the slow-cooker on high took at least an hour.

4. Gently ladle the congee with the egg into a bowl.

5. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and spring onions to your liking.

Later on I thought the colors of this picture reminded me of the congee–with a tiny yolk amidst the purple, tropical night.

On another note, I’ve been wanting to share something else with you all. Awhile ago I had attempted to make manna bread or “Bible bread”. This involves sprouting whole wheat grains (untreated ones or else they won’t sprout).

So here’s a little tutorial…

Sprouting Grains

What You Need

Containers with poked holes on the lids

Grains for sprouting, like wheat or millet

Screen or cheesecloth

Filtered water

What To Do

1. Fill your container 1/3 full of grain of choice, then fill the rest of the jar with filtered water. Leave out on the counter top overnight.

2. The next morning drain your jar (the screen or cheesecloth will catch the grain for you), and rinse the grain by pouring water in the jar, and gently swishing the water around to rinse the grains. Drain again, and place in a bowl or other dish that will hold your jar at a slant downwards. This is so the grains can keep draining and let air circulate within.

3. Rinse at least twice a day, or up to three times if you have time. Do this till you see little sprouts coming out of the grain. This may take a couple of days. I found that when I left the containers outside, the sprouting process went by much faster. The power of the sun!

You can use the sprouted grains for so many things! You can dehydrate them to make them into flour, for breads, sprinkle on salads, or anything you can come up with!

I also threw in some medjool dates and cinnamon for added flavor. That’s it. No eggs, no baking powder or soda. Just the sprouts, a spoonful of wheat flour, and if you want to add any other flavors.

Alas the sun’s heat wasn’t as hot that day and it started to rain, so I ended up baking it. Next time I will take the weather into consideration beforehand.

The papaya from our garden is the best I’ve ever tasted. I used to not like papaya actually, because store-bought is just so bitter.

Both delicious!

 

In other news, fellow editor at JNSQ and blogger over at The Clean Beauty Blog is hosting a great giveaway for a beauty package by Planet Eve Organics (one of her favorites) to celebrate her 50,000 followers mark! Congratulations to her and don’t forget to check it out.