Slow Cooker Shiitake Congee

Slow cooker shiitake congee is a warming bowl of comfort, made with lots of savory, flavorful mushrooms and your favorite rice. Top it with your favorite add ons.

One of my favorite breakfast buffet dishes when we lived in southeast Asia was the big pot of congee or rice porridge with lots of toppings from crunchy little dried fish and sliced chili peppers to crispy shallots and sambal. Such a bowl of comfort! 

It’s super easy to make in a slow cooker as well. Simply slice up your mushrooms, throw everything in together and walk away. You can eat it plain or dress it up with toppings. 

Slow Cooker Shiitake Congee

I’m publishing this recipe – looooong overdue – with permission from my lovely friend, author Kathy Hester. It’s from her wonderful revised and updated cookbook, The Vegan Slow Cooker. <affiliate link Like all of Kathy’s great cookbooks, the instructions are clear and helpful adaptations are included. Everything I’ve made from ALL of Kathy’s cookbooks has been excellent! Highly recommend. This recipe makes 4-6 servings.

Ingredients

For the congee:

8 cups or 1880ml water or broth (IMHO: Broth adds more flavor.)

4 cups or 280g thinly sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms

4 cups or 280g thinly sliced button, baby bella, shiitake mushrooms or combination

1 cup or 185g rice (I used long grain. Kathy’s recipe says brown rice. Use your favorite rice.)

3 tablespoons or 24g grated ginger

Optional suggestions for serving:

Soy sauce

Scallions

Cilantro

Chopped chili peppers

Extra grated ginger

Leftover cooked veggies

Tofu cubes

Method

If you are pressed for time in the morning, you can prepare the mushrooms and ginger the night before and keep them in the refrigerator overnight. 

Otherwise, cut the hard stem ends off of the mushrooms then use a sharp knife to cut them into thin slices. If desired, set a few slices aside for topping. 

Then grate your ginger. 

Add them both to your slow cooker, along with the rice and the liquid of your choice, either broth or water. Normally I would use chicken broth but in deference to Kathy’s vegan recipe, I used a rich vegetarian stock. 

Cook on low for 7 to 9 hours. When time is up, give the pot a good stir. 

Kathy suggests (be still my heart that LOVES congee in a buffet!) to place your chosen toppings on the table and let everyone add what they like best. 

In our house, sliced chili peppers are an absolute necessity but we also enjoyed the suggested tofu cubes and scallions aka green onion tops. 

You do you but do make this comfort dish. You won’t regret it. And check out Kathy’s blog Healthy Slow Cooking (and her other books.) You won't regret that either. We are not a vegan family but we always love her creative and delicious recipes. 

Enjoy!

It's Multicooker Monday! Check out all the other Multicooker recipes my friends are sharing this month! Many thanks to Sue of Palatable Pastime, our group leader. 

• Air Fryer Pork and Vegetable Egg Rolls from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs from Making Miracles
• Kerala Beef Olarthiyathu- Pressure Cooker from Sneha’s Recipe
• Slow Cooker Shiitake Congee from Food Lust People Love
• Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce from Palatable Pastime
• Southern Pimento Cheese Crockpot Potato Soup from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Toaster Oven Turkey Schmaltz Cornbread from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

Multicooker Monday is a blogger group created by Sue of Palatable Pastime for all of us who need encouragement to make better use of our small appliances like slow cookers, Instant Pots, Air Fryers, rice cookers and sous vide machines. We get together every third Monday of the month to share our recipes. If you are a food blogger who would like to post with us, please request to join our Facebook group.

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Chicken and Mushroom Puff Pastry Pie #FoodieExtravaganza

Flaky puff pasty and a delectable filling make this chicken and mushroom puff pastry pie the perfect luncheon or brunch fare. It’s delicious warm or at room temperature.

I am a fan of savory pies in any form. They are not only a great use of leftovers, transforming them into a whole other meal. In fact, I have been known to make extra roast beef/chicken/lamb just so I’ll have enough for pie. In the case of this chicken and mushroom puff pastry pie, I used a store-bought rotisserie chicken.

Every year that I have lived in Dubai (my seventh will start in November!) the local produce available in the grocery stores and farmers’ markets has grown and grown. This year for the first time, much to my delight, I’ve started finding mushrooms from the UAE and our neighbor Oman on the refrigerated shelves. Consequently, prices are more reasonable as well and we’ve been eating a lot of mushrooms.

This month my Foodie Extravaganza friends are celebrating the lowly but delicious mushroom with recipes in honor of National Mushroom Month. Don’t miss the link list with more wonderful mushroom recipes near the bottom of this post.

If you are a fan of mushrooms, you'll want to check out my Wild Mushroom Soup, Mushrooms Provençal and Beef Short Rib Bourguignon. That last one has only five ingredients but is probably the best beef Bourguignon I've ever put in my mouth!

Chicken and Mushroom Puff Pastry Pie

This special pie will generously serve 4-6 people. Serve it alongside some freshly steamed vegetables or a crisp green salad.

Ingredients
For the filling:
1 lb 10 oz or 750g fresh baby or button mushrooms
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into tiny cubes
4 tablespoons plain flour
2 teaspoons whole grained mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 cup or 240ml chicken stock
1 lb or 450g cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
1/2 cup or 120ml double or whipping cream
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Optional: cayenne pepper

For the crust:
2 packages (8 oz or 230g each) puff pastry (preferably all butter, if you can find it!)
1 egg, beaten

Optional to garnish:
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
tarragon sprigs

Method
Wash the mushrooms thoroughly making sure to remove any dirt that clings to them with a brush. Cut off any hard ends on the stems and discard.

In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and add in the mushrooms.

Cook covered over a high heat for several minutes, until the mushrooms have released their water.

Continue cooking, uncovered, until all of the water has evaporated and the mushrooms begin to turn golden.

Transfer them to another vessel and return the skillet to the stove.

Reduce the heat to medium low and add one tablespoon of the butter. Sauté the onion and carrot until they soften. Add in the last tablespoon of butter. Once it has melted, add in the flour and stir until you have a thick paste. Cook for a minute or two to get rid of the raw flour flavor.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Add in the minced tarragon and mustard, then gradually whisk in the stock to form a smooth sauce.

Return the pan to the stove and then cook over medium low heat for several minutes until thickened.

Remove from the heat and add in the chicken, mushrooms and the cream. Stir well.

Season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne if using. Stir well. Leave to rest in the skillet until cooled, stirring occasionally.

Once your filling has cooled, preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment and unroll the first circle of puff pastry onto it.

Pile the filling onto the puff pastry and spread it out evenly, leaving a large circle of pastry around the outsides. Brush the pastry edge with the beaten egg.

Carefully cover the filling with the second circle of puff pastry to create the upper crust, gently pressing out air as you go.

Crimp the edges to seal the pie. Cut two or three vent holes in the top with a sharp knife and brush the whole pie with the egg.

You can also score the pastry with the knife, if desired. I did a sort of diamond pattern. Sprinkle with Parmesan, if using.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown all over.

Remove the chicken and mushroom puff pastry pie from the oven and leave to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to this month’s Foodie Extravaganza host, Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm! Check out all the wonderful mushroom recipes we are sharing this month:

• Chicken & Mushroom Vegetable Medley by Reviews, Chews & How-Tos
• Chicken and Mushroom Puff Pastry Pie by Food Lust People Love
• Mushroom Quesadillas by Caroline's Cooking
• Mushroom, Sausage  and Spinach Strata by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Mushrooms in Green Herb Sauce by Sneha's Recipe
• Portabella Mushroom Cheesesteak Sandwich by Simple and Savory
• Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Steak with Porcini Mushroom Gravy by Palatable Pastime

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays, and we all post recipes using the same ingredient. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

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