Congee (Rice Porridge) with Bitter Melon

This is my favorite food lately--Congee or Jook. It's so easy to make, and all it requires is a little patience. As I said in a previous post, all you need are:

1 cup washed rice (I use brown rice)

9 cups water

Cook low at a simmer for 3 hours or more. It will turn into a cloudy porridge. Add more water if necessary, and stir every now and then to make sure that the rice doesn't stick to the bottom. You can alternatively make this in a crock pot.

Congee is very easy to digest. You can add soy sauce or miso afterwards for flavor. I like to throw in a couple of small pieces of ginger into the rice as it simmers and then eat it with some bitter melon. Here's how I prepare the bitter melon:

1. Cut bitter melon in half lengthwise and spoon out the inside (the seeds)
2. Cut into pieces and then boil the pieces in some water and a dash of salt for 3 minutes. This gets rid of some of the bitter flavor. Warning: it's still really bitter though! Haha
3. Drain water and add a tsp of soy sauce and a tsp of mirin. Saute for a couple of minutes. You can add thinly sliced meat to this if you like.

I eat bitter melon by dropping it into my rice porridge. The bitter flavor is tempered by the rice, and they both complement each other so well.

Bitter melon has tons of health benefits and is used by cultures around the world as a medicinal food. It's said to be great for diabetics especially. It should not be eaten by women who are pregnant.