Honeynut Squash Congee
Now, it’s really fall. The sweaters are out, the scarves are wrapped, and my dutch oven basically remains on the burners now. It’s almost freezing outside! You may have noticed a theme of comfort in my previous few posts (like this stuffed butternut squash and decadent brownies), and that’s not about to wane anytime soon, because I’ve got the ultimate comfort breakfast for you: congee!!!! I’m sort of shocked I don’t have a congee recipe already up here – likely because it’s one of those “recipes” that you don’t really need. It’s more about proportions, and then of course, how YOU like to eat congee. So, when the darling Alana and Stephanie threw the perfect #threeredbowls baby shower / celebration for our sweetest friend and beloved blogger Cynthia, I immediately thought of a seasonal, comforting congee, something that can be whipped in quickly and in one pot, and preferably made when wearing fuzzy slippers.
Cynthia was one of the first bloggers that 1) inspired me to start blogging and 2) made me feel welcome in this crazy-but-awesome food blogging world. One look at her work, and anyone will fall in love, but it was really her writing and how sincere her posts are – how willing she is to share her life with us, that made me continuously return to her blog. Oh, and her amazing recipes!!!!!!! She’s the master of delicious, next-level dishes that are still approachable and not intimidating to make. I’ve made her budae jjigae, taiwanese popcorn chicken, and hokkaido milk bread numerous times – they never fail!
Many, many congratulations and heartfelt wishes, dear Cynthia! Luke is so beautiful and precious.
Check out all the other bowl-themed recipes for this #threeredbowls baby shower!
I am a Food Blog | Mac and Kimcheese Dolsot Bibimbap
Fix Feast Flair | Dishoom’s Chicken Ruby Murray
The Fauxmartha | Mom Lunches
A Cozy Kitchen | Cornbread Chicken + Dumplings
Cake Over Steak | Salted Caramel Chocolate Crackles
The Pancake Princess | Stovetop Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Snixy Kitchen | Chicken Pot Pie with Chestnut Biscuits
Lady and Pups | Egg Florentine in Pullman “Bowls”
Betty Liu | Honeynut Squash Congee
Style Sweet CA | Date Bourbon Cinnamon Rolls
Warm Vanilla Sugar | Broccoli Quinoa Bowl with Avocado Sauce
A Beautiful Plate | Coconut Cauliflower Soup
Girl Versus Dough | Tomato Grilled Cheese Soup
Fork to Belly | A HUGE Hawaiian Fruit Bowl!!!
Donny Tsang | Chawanmushi
Wit & Vinegar | Jerk Chicken Chili
Constellation Inspiration | Salted Egg Yolk Custard Mochi
twigg studios | Katsu Udon Soup wth Popcorn Chicken Croutons
Edible Perspective | Acorn Squash Bowls with Pears, Pecans, and Vanilla Bean Cream
Coco Cake Land | Asian Bowl Cut Sugar Cookies
Southern Souffle | Sorghum Apple Biscuits In A Bowl
The Bojon Gourmet | Smoky Sweet Potato & Lentil Tortilla Soup
Flourishing Foodie | Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup
What should I eat for breakfast today | Little Bowl with Creamy Polenta, Cheese, Onions and Mushrooms
Top with Cinnamon | Squash & Crispy Kale Bowls with Pomegranate and Miso-Ginger Dressing
the broken bread | Roasted Celeriac + Fennel Soup
Fig+Bleu | Cauliflower Harissa Soup
my name is yeh | Corn Dog In A Bowl
Crepes of Wrath | Mini Scallion Pancake Challah Buns
O&O Eats | Persimmon Cobbler
This honeynut squash congee is super, duper flexible. In fact, it’s a variation (if you can call it that) of the more traditional pumpkin congee that my mom used to make. It’s quite popular in the Shanghai / Jiang Su areas, called 南瓜稀饭, and is sometimes made with millets instead of white rice. My mom has made it with whatever pumpkin/squash/yam she had on hand. I was craving the ultimate comfort congee, so I went with traditional short grain white rice. I used a quick-cooking method – you wash, soak, then freeze the rice overnight. It works wonders and basically allows the rice to cook faster. This recipe won’t take you more than 30 minutes to make. I used honeynut squash congee, because I’m currently obsessed with these little minions. I spotted them at a local farmstand, but didn’t buy them at first. Then, I went on a press trip, chatted with queen of squash Amanda and she told me that it’s sweeter than butternut squash and has a lovely color. SHE’s RIGHT!!!! It’s almost as sweet as kabocha but has the honey-ed flavor of butternut squash, and it was perfect for this congee. As is such for this rustic recipe, there’s no additional flavoring necessary. The squash, then salt and pepper to taste. I added a sprinkling of scallions and toasted pepitas because I had them on hand, but this congee can stand on its own just fine.
RECIPE: Honeynut Squash Congee
*It’s 3:1 ratio of squash and raw rice!
300g honeynut squash peeled and cut into thin slices
100g short grain rice
1-2 slices fresh ginger
1 cup chicken broth
sea salt and pepper, to taste
Night before: Wash and rinse rice. Soak for 30 minutes. Drain, then place in a freezer-safe container and freeze overnight (I used a plastic bag).
Remove rice from freezer. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add frozen rice, squash slices, and ginger all at once. Turn to medium heat. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. pour 1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth) and stir. Add salt. Cook, uncovered, for another 10 minutes on low until congee thickens to your preference.
Add more salt and pepper to taste. Top with scallions, if you want!
This is going to be one of my go to breakfasts! I am also loving honey nut squash these days. What a perfect comforting meal especially for a new mom. Thanks, Betty for all you do!
I’ve never heard of congee – this looks really great. Is the rice frozen so that all of the ingredients have the same cooking time? Or is there another reason?
I love the blog two red bowls as well, this post is a great tribute to the new addition to their family.
my parents only make jook with chicken and thousand year old duck eggs (neither which are my dream toppings), so for a while i thought that’s what everyone had. but this variation sounds so much cozier to me, and even eaiser!
Love the simple flavours in this! So delicious!
cynthia, you done did it again. we definitely have soul sister stomachs – my family’s also from shanghai / jiangsu. just picked up a butternut squash from the market but wanted to do something different from just roasting it…and betty to the rescue! 🙂
Oh my god those squashes are just super cute! Never seen them like this.
And #ThreeRedBowls? How adorable is that? Warmest congrats to Cynthia (noticed on her instagram that the baby is born.)
Apparantly, I was the only one who didn’t even know what a congee is. Looks delicious!
Ginger is mentioned in the method. I could not see a quantity for ginger in ingredient list
Ruth, thank you for catching that! It’s there now. Apologies for that discrepancy!
oh I have a slow cooker full of ginger chicken congee heating as I write this. Totally agree- congee is such comfort food during this time of year. I have never ever thought to put squash in congee, but I the idea. Bet it adds so much sweet flavor and that color! So pretty.
You know you’re Chinese when … a gorgeous bowl of congee makes you DROOL. xo
This is so lovely! A must try, for sure!
congee is the perfect comfort food, hands down! thanks for participating betty! i want ten thousand of these bowls! 🙂
You just made my favorite comfort food even comfier. Also can we just talk about how Two Red Bowls was such an inspiration for so many of us to start our own blogs?!?!
I just wanna say that this is such a WONDERFULLY TOUCHING & HEART-WARMING creative idea & gesture ! This is going to make the parents of ‘B3’ so HAPPY ! It’s stuff like this that encourages me to continue blogging (even though I often feel like saying, “yeah, that’s enough, time to stop …”). Yet I soldier on. And yeah, oh how I wish-wish-wished I could have been part of this magical sharing moment too !!! Great job, take care & nice meeting you … georgie @ http://www.icookstuff.com 🙂
I never realized congee is that simple!
Omg Betty your photography!!!!!! So gorgeously foggy and gorgeously composed as usual. Love love love this mash up of my favorite winter veg and congee!!! YOU ARE BRILLIANT CAN’T WAIT TO MAKE.
This is so beautiful and so unique, Betty! I can just imagine how delicious squash is added to congee — the perfect fall comfort food. Thank you so, so much for such kind words and for being a part of this!
This honeynut squash congee is so yummy and interesting! I’m vegetarian and I love it. I prefer honey cause it is antioxidant, natural energy source, contains alot of healthy microelements! Thanks a lot for this unique recipe!
I am obsessed with healthy food! Definitely, honeynut squash congee will be yummy! I’m seriously so inspired right now. I need to add cinnamon to recipe and it would be perfect. Thx for sharing!
These honeynut squash congee are so Instagrammable and adorable! As you know I made it a short while ago and it was lovely! Thx for sharing!
I tripled this recipe for meal prep. Used pumpkin instead of honeynut squash, added about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar to compensate for a little sweetness, and added some collard greens. Used chicken/veggie stock instead of water, and reduced it to 7 cups instead of the tripled 9. Delicious. Perfect thickness, a wonderful, simple, hearty breakfast.