The Quick And Effortless Way To Make Congee In Your Instant Pot

Just because your weekday nights find you short on time doesn't mean you can't put together a tasty, aesthetically pleasing, and comforting meal. Enter classic congee, a porridge-style rice dish that can be topped with whatever your appetite calls for — or whatever ingredients are stocked in your kitchen. From meat, fish, vegetables, eggs, and kimchi, you can take your pick as to how you'd like your dinner to be flavored. And the best part? You can make the recipe using your Instant Pot, reducing additional time spent in the kitchen washing extra dishes, pots, and pans after plates are cleared.

Though congee dishes are traditionally slow-cooked and prepared ingredients are added to the simmering mixture or used to top bowls later on, we understand that not every night provides the space to stand over the stove cooking rice. Instead of stirring rice and watching ingredients simmer for the better part of an hour, use your Instant Pot to cook rice quickly. To do this, simply add the rice, plenty of liquid, and any preferred flavorings such as ginger and garlic and it should take 20 minutes on high pressure to get the right porridge consistency. (Some Instant Pots also have a useful porridge setting.) After the rice has finished cooking, you can stir in your choice of add-ins for a meal that hits all the right notes. 

If you'd like a sunny-side-up egg perched on top of your bowl of served congee, simply use the cooking time of the rice to get the egg and any other ingredients ready. Other options include cooked meat, crispy tofu, sliced carrots, crunchy fried onions, fresh herbs, or any other flavorings you'd like to add to your bowls. Once the congee is ready, allow the pressure to release naturally, then stir everything in.

To keep the congee-making ingredients contained in one pot, use the Instant Pot filled with cooked rice and directly stir in sesame seeds, sesame oil, chili crisp, and soy sauce. Ladle your congee into serving bowls and top each with an extra drizzle of oil, a few snips of microgreens, or red pepper flakes for a meal that will look like it took much longer to put together. With a versatile meal this delicious and easy to make, you may find that congee becomes a regular part of your weeknight dinner menu rotation.