Multigrain Congee
Posted in chicken, Chinese, Featured Articles, One-dish meal, porridge, pumpkin
Lately, my family has a new liking. That’s my multigrain congee (rice porridge). Having this tasty yet healthy meal makes our bellies feel so satisfied and great.
This congee is not exactly 100% multigrain. Instead, it’s made up of 50% multigrain, 20% millet and 30% short grain rice. The presence of millet and short grain rice gives the texture a new dimension from toothsome to smooth, as good as the normal congee.
The multigrain brand I use is GreenMax, a product from Taiwan. It consists of 11 types of grains namely brown rice (糙米), pearl rice (珍珠米), wheat (小麦), barley (大麦), pearl barley (薏仁), oat (燕麦), buckwheat (蕎麦), millet(小米), black glutinous rice (黑米), gordon euryale seed (茨实)and sorghum (高粱). If you can’t find this brand, that’s fine. You can use any brand that is available in your supermarket.
There are various ways to flavour this congee. But, using the right mix of ingredients gives a good lift to the flavour. I had done a couple of experiments with different pairings of ingredients, and finally came up with my secret version of “umami”. It’s a combination of chicken carcasses, dried scallops and pumpkin.
To cook this congee, you don’t need strong hand muscle to keep on stirring it on the stove top as what you would for the usual plain congee. The reason is that some grains such as brown rice and black glutinous rice can’t break down easily and hence have fewer tendencies to stick to the bottom of the pot. Furthermore, the chicken carcasses and pumpkin play a role to minimise the rice from sticking too. However, I strongly recommend that you use a large stock pot that has enough depth so you need not worry about spilling over. Alternatively, simmer the congee with the lid partially opened. This congee will take you two hours to cook from start to finish.
Once it’s done, serve it with a topping of chopped spring onions, roasted anchovies and roasted peanuts. These condiments are optional but a hit in my family. The crunchiness and nuttiness of peanuts and crispiness of lightly salted anchovies give this congee an extra boost of its overall texture and taste. This is the main reason that my family got hooked to this congee.
This is an effortless yet hearty one-dish meal that is perfect for your whole family.
Click on PAGE 2 BELOW to get the recipe for Multigrain Congee.
I love this porridge too! Nutritious and delicious!
Alice: Great for this hot season! Do give it a try. 😉
Your multigrain congee looks delicious! Love this healthy version of congee.
LCOM: Thanks!! It’s surprisingly tastier than the usual Chinese congee. 😉
Can I use slow cooker to cook this porriage?
Jenn: Provided your slow cooker is big enough to cater to all the ingredients. If not, you may need to cut down the ingredients accordingly. Another option is to remove the chicken carcasses and replace water with chicken stock. In this case, the amount of liquid has to be reduced by 100-200ml. 😉
Wow~~ This look absolutely delicious! I bought a pack of this 5 grains rice too! Will try out your recipe on weekend 🙂
Ellena: What a coincidence!! Hope you will like this recipe!! 😉
I used this brand too! It makes nice porridge! I also used to cook as rice but I still prefer it as porridge!
Lilium: Agreed! Porridge is nicer than rice. 😉
I also cook multigrain congee at least once a week! And I also add millet and short grain rice. The millet definitely makes it more “creamy” smooth. 🙂
Tigerfish: Yes, the kinda porridge we love. 🙂
Hello there!
I love love love CONGEE!
I can have it anytime of day, week, year.
I do like to start it with a nice chicken breast then shred.
The multi grain I will need to try as I am trying to eat better. I tried it with brown rice and i like the chewy texture so with multi grain might be a party for me 🙂
Thank you and once again great post!
Lisa
Cookng sisters
Cookny sisters: Thanks!! Glad you like this recipe. Happy trying!! 🙂
That is very interesting, I’ve never made or seen anybody make congee with multi-grains, but it actually looks pretty good and healthy. I’ve only used long grain and sushi rice, but I might give this one a try! Good job once again!
Rack of Lam: Thanks!! Do give it a try! 😉
Now that’s a super delicious and healthy congee! The Japanese especially eat congee when we’re not well and I can imagine we’ll get better immediately after having this.
Nami (JOC): It’s the same practice for Chinese. My family doesn’t mind eating it every week. 😉
This looks so healthy, I will look out for this grain next time I’m grocery shopping =)
Noobcook: I bought mine from NTUC. Happy trying! 😉
This is a really special congee. I have never tried using different grains to make congee. Well done!
Lee Mei (MCH): Thanks!! Even my mother-in-law also likes it. 😉
Hi,may i know what is short grain rice?
May: Short grain rice is also called “Japanese sushi rice”. You can refer to the photo at this link – https://food-4tots.com/2010/11/25/how-to-make-superfast-congee/.
definitely trying out your recipe soon! my multigrain version contains about the same grains as yours, together with oats, which I find gives it that cantonese porridge smoothness ;p
Janine: After trying it out, please share with me your feedback. Thanks! 😉
Your recipes have never failed me this far. And the same goes for this nutritious and delicious congee =D. I was beaming when u posted this and knew I had to try it soon. I used a combination of jap rice, black and brown rice. It’s very yummy! My husband, 5yr old and 1.5 yr old daughters love it! Makes me So happy! A great way to get them to eat pumpkin too =D
And I followed your post on toasting tiny anchovies, turned out so good!
My 5 yr old daughter and I LOVE crispy anchovies and I always feel guilty giving her the fried version. Now it’s oil and guilt free anchovies! Yay!=D (sorry, too excited to thank u!)
Thanks again for sharing. Love your recipes, love your photos ;D
Keep it up!
Grace: Thanks so much for your prompt feedback! I feel really great that you and your family love this recipe so much! You did a great job too! Keep it up!! 😉
Love your multigrain shot too! 2 Thumbs up!
Grace: Thanks!! Love your sweet words! 😉
Thanks for the great recipe! I tried it with pork ribs instead of chicken as I was coughing and it still turned out yummy! I was a bit skeptical about the taste at first, not knowing what the mixture of grains would taste like. But it turned out just like white rice congee but with a variety of textures that made it so interesting 🙂
Christine: Thanks!! Glad you like it as much as we do! 🙂
Hi hi,
I just cooked this for dinner. It worked great. Used marinated sliced pork instead of chicken meat and the chicken stock was instant 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe! 🙂
Ling: It’s my pleasure to share. So glad it worked for you! 😉
Hi, i do not know what is millet? Where can i buy that?
You ladies mention multi-grain, short-grain?
May i know where can i buy them and is it suitable for my 16mths tod?
Appreciate mummy reply. 🙂
Rachel： For millet, short grain rice and multi-grain rice, please check out the photos at my “INGREDIENTS” page – https://food-4tots.com/ingredients/4/. You can find them at most of the supermarkets and also organic shops. Yes, they are suitable for your kid. Do give it a try! 😉
Hello food-4tots.com mommy! Thank You sooo much for your sharing! May I check what Çhicken Carcass means? Does it mean the whole chicken with Bones, Meat and Skin?
Ida: Chicken carcass that I used for this recipe is the whole chicken bones with some meat attached to it but without the skin. 😉
Thank you for your prompt response! Just two more questions regarding the chicken carcasss:
1) So I buy a whole chicken from the supermarket and remove all the skin and some meat?
2) How long should I blanch it for before rinsing with cold water? Just to clarify – blanching means cook in boiling water? (I read that the purpose of blanching is so that the meat will stop cooking once it is rinsed with cold water. Does it mean when the chicken carcass is placed in the large stock pot to cook in step 4, the chicken will actually not cook further already?)
Thank you for bearing with my very beginner questions!
Ida: Usually you will find chicken carcass in the supermarket at the chiller section. If not, then get the whole chicken and remove the skin will do. Another option is go to your nearby wet market. Tell the seller that you need chicken carcass, he will definitely know which one to show you.
Just blanch for 2-3 minutes. What you have read is not the main purpose for doing this blanching. It is to get rid of any blood smell and impurities. 😉
Hi,
NTUC Supermarket is selling Organic Raw Buckwheat. Is the same item that was featured in the picture illustrated?
Thanks.
Nancy: Buckwheat is just one of the ingredients in this multigrain. You need to look for multigrain not just buckwheat at NTUC Supermarket.
Thanks for yr speedy reply. Yes, I have come across the Greenmax
Multigrain pack in supermarket but wanted to know if I want to mske my own combination with buckwheat, I can only find organic raw buckwheat
In NTUC supermarket. Is this acceptable?
Nancy: I haven’t made congee with just buckwheat. Maybe you can check out other types of grains at organic stores. 🙂
Sorry, please notify me of comments. Thnks.
I’m going to try this tonight. Can you clarify for me? “2 litres water (including water used for soaking the rice and scallops)” Since your receipt says “including water for soaking” how much water should i put directly into the pot to make the congee?
Also, if i can find the taiwanese rice, do i just use 200g of it?
Joe: This recipe is very flexible. Soak your rice and scallops with water just enough to cover them slightly. There is no need to measure the water as it will only make up 10% of the total water needed. Yes, you can substitute the suggested amount with any types of rice you prefer. 😉
Hi, thanks for sharing this lovely porridge, I would like to try it out ASAP!
How do you seperate the millets from the multigrain? Do you handpick them one by one?
BabyFoodfinder: You don’t have to separate the millet from the multigrain. Just add extra millet will do. Happy trying! 😉
Hi
Can I cook this a every meal for my 7mths old baby as she has constipation and I heard that millet is very easy to digest too.
Huiqi
Huiqi: You can just cook millet rather than multigrain congee for your baby. 🙂
Hi, love your website. I wondered if this can be cooked for baby about 1 yrs old? Do I need to grind it into powder if I cooked it for baby? Thanks!
Yi Xuan: Sorry, I haven’t tried grinding multigrain into powder before. But I did try to grind brown rice and cook for my son after he turned 7 months. For brown rice, you need to wash and dry them thoroughly first. Grind them with blender, sieve and grind again until they turn into powder. Keep inside an air-tight container. Actually, millet and quinoa can be cooked without grinding.
Hi, my 1st time trying tis multi grain.
1) can gave it to my 19 mths old toddler?
2) if I use slow cooker, how long does it take to cook?
3) if I cook as desert what should I add?
Hope to hear frm you soon. Tks!
Wendiee: Yes, it is suitable for your toddler. Omit the scallop if he is allergic to seafood. Haven’t tried this recipe using slow cooker before. I guess it will take about 2 hours at least. Another shortcut I like to use is to soak the rice and freeze it (please refer to the method shared in my quick congee recipe). You mean multigrain dessert? I haven’t made dessert using multigrain rice before. As a rule of thumb, you can add red dates or honey dates to sweeten it. 🙂