Greens for Breakfast? Savory Oatmeal Juk (Congee)

Remember juk?  I'm more familiar with it as cháo or chok--that is the Vietnamese and Thai/Khmer names, respectively.  Most people will recognize it by congee, though.

Usually, we think of this as a rice dish--in fact, today in Cambodia just as many Khmer will call this sup bi--rice soup--as chok.  It isn't just a rice dish--it can also be made with oatmeal.  Oatmeal offers high fiber and quick cooking times--neither of which are virtues of the rice usually made to use juk (since it is usually white or glutinous white rice).  And while I often make more sweet oatmeal dishes (some of which I've shared before), a savory oatmeal dish can be a great breakfast or dinner dish.  I've got about five oatmeal juk recipes I make pretty often.  A few are a little more elaborate than this one, but in my quest to work in vegetables and greens into my diet, this one fit very nicely.

Spinach oatmeal juk (congee)

3 big handfuls of fresh spinach or about 1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen spinach (or other greens)

2-4 slices of ginger 

Sliced mushrooms (2-3, and shiitake are especially good)

One sliced scallion (green onions)

A dash of soy sauce

1 cup oatmeal

Salt and white pepper (if your broth has salt in it, you may not need salt--and black pepper will work as well)

3 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock  OR one can of stock and one cup of water

Pickled Chinese greens (optional)

A tablespoon of crushed roasted peanuts (optional)

A dash or two of sesame oil

Boil 3 cups of stock with the ginger slices and the oatmeal. Wash and chop the spinach if using fresh greens and your mushrooms.  When water is boiling, add the mushrooms and then begin to add the spinach and slowly stir until the leaves become cooked, and begin slowly stirring in your oats; stir for 2-3 minutes until the oats are softened.  The dish is a thick soupy consistency--if it is much too thin, add a 1/8 cup of oats, cook another three minutes and see.  If it is oatmeal consistency, not soup consistency, add another half cup of stock or water, stir and see. 

Add salt and pepper to taste--if your stock had salt in it, you may not need to add any salt at all especially since a little soy sauce is still to be added.   Finally, garnish each serving with the scallions and add just a small dash of soy sauce to each serving. Don't eat the ginger slices, but remove them as you eat or as you are dishing out the juk. Not at all necessary, but a spoonful of pickled Chinese greens (not kim chi, but the plain pickled greens) and a dash (or a couple dashes) of sesame oil also adds another dash of flavor to this dish that is really essential for an authentic taste.  Without sesame oil it just does not taste like juk.

A power breakfast of "Green Eggs" and Oatmeal Spinach Juk
with a few slices of a Korean Pear--what a way to start the day with two
generous servings of GREENS!

Greens for Breakfast? Bihari Style Greens

Another great recipe from the blog of that intrepid philosopher, Mr. Brown.  This is fantastic with hot chapatis or nan bread for breakfast where it is eaten cold and with a little achar, or Indian pickle.  Outside of breakfast (this is a traditional breakfast dish) this is good warm anytime as a side dish with just about anything!

Bihari-Style Greens Recipe

• 1 1/2 pounds of fresh spinach (or you can make this with mustard greens)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground ginger (at least--I'm more generous)
• 1 Red or Green Chili (at least--I'm more generous)
• 1-2 Cloves Garlic (at least--I'm more generous)
• Either 1 generous teaspoon of ground mustard, 1/2 pound of mustard greens, or 2-3 tablespoons of mustard oil
• 1 tablespoon of corn meal

First, wilt all the greens in hot water--maybe 2-3 minutes in boiling water, strain and immediately rinse with cold water (this helps preserve the color).  Remove, squeeze our any remaining water that you can.  Next, put these in your food processor (or blender or mortar and pestle) with the chili, ginger and garlic and coarsely blend, then set aside.

If you are using ground mustard instead of mustard greens or mustard oil, take some of the hot water from your spinach and mix with your mustard powder--enough to make a thin paste.

Next, heat at least 2 tablespoons of oil in your pan, and when hot, add your cornmeal and stir.  Don't get the oil so hot as to cause your cornmeal to blacken--if it gets to brown, pour it out and try again.  Stir continuously for ONE MINUTE.

Turn down the heat medium low.  Then, immediately add your greens--be careful, the oil will start popping--and then your mustard paste if using ground mustard.  Stir thoroughly.  Cook for 3-5 minutes, just long enough to cook through the other blended ingredients.  That's it.  You can eat hot or cold--it is great either way!

Healthy Breakfast--Get Your Greens in the Morning!

For the last week, I've been eating the same thing for breakfast at least every other day. It is so good!

The problem was this: it was hard to eat all my servings of vegetables a day (at least six servings) and including at least two servings of leafy green vegetables every day (health gurus suggest at least three, actually, plus six servings of vegetables). I realized that breakfast was a missed opportunity to work in some vegetables!

I usually have a piece of fruit as soon as I wake up while I am making my coffee, but breakfast is usually more fruit and whole grains—no vegetables at all! So, along with a Bihari-style mustard green recipe I'll share later on, this is one delicious way to get greens in the morning! The fat and protein from the eggs makes this so filling, and with more savory quick-cooking whole grains like couscous or millet, this makes a delicious, quick and easy breakfast.

Green Eggs Recipe

¾ Cup Frozen Chopped Spinach

¼ Cup Onions, chopped

Teaspoon olive oil

3 Eggs (one whole egg, two egg whites)

¼ Cup Milk

Salt to taste

First, simply put your oil in a non-stick skillet and throw in your onions. Let them cook until they begin turning transparent, and then add your frozen spinach, mix and let cook on medium heat. Add your salt to this mix. In the meantime, combine one whole egg, two egg whites, and the milk into a bowl and mix. Once the spinach is thoroughly thawed all through, add the onions and spinach to the bowl and mix with your eggs.

Then, pour the mixture back into your pan. You will be making an omlet, so cover the skillet's bottom. When your eggs begin to bubble up in the middle, they are ready to be turned to form the half moon of your omelet. Because there is so much greens, you can expect the sides of your eggs to brown slightly. Don't worry, they will be fine. Once the insides have cooked just enough, turn the omelet over to its other side. You can cover to help the insides cook, but be careful you don't burn the bottom.

Of course, this would be wonderful with a little grated cheese added, but it is so delicious without it we saw no need to added the extra unhealthy fat.

Because it is such a savory dish, we've been eating it with wholewheat couscous topped with a drop of Lebonese toum, a lemon-garlic sauce. It would also be wonderful with whole millet, another delicious breakfast grain.

Healthy Kimchi

This recipe comes from Mr. Brown Goes Around.

Why make your own kimchi?

First, you can decide what you like in it!  You can add other vegetables, even fruits like pears and apples, a little more honey/sugar to make it sweeter, you can brine it longer to make it a little saltier, and adjust spice levels to your taste.  This recipe, for example, is much more fiery than most kimchi you will get in the store, so those who don't like it so hot can cup the powdered chili from 1/2 cup to 1/3 a cup--that will still keep it plenty warm.  Also, many store-bought kimchi will have two ingredients you might not want--MSG and potassium sorbate.  Neither of these additives are necessarily bad for you, but they are certainly not doing you any good, either. 

Note, though, that you really do need to try to find this one special ingredient--the Korean hot pepper flakes or powder which can be purchased from Amazon in case you don't have any nearby Korean groceries.  You can also use Korean hot pepper paste (gochujang).

But what makes kimchi healthy?

Why to try it: Kimchi (or kimchee) is loaded with vitamins A, B, and C, but its biggest benefit may be in its “healthy bacteria” called lactobacilli, found in fermented foods like kimchi and yogurt. This good bacteria helps with digestion, plus it seems to help stop and even prevent yeast infections, according to a recent study. And more good news: Some studies show fermented cabbage has compounds that may prevent the growth of cancer.

 And kimchi enthusiast Eric Armstrong points out its cardiovascular  benefits as well given the other ingredients like garlic and ginger.

Kimchi is a full-spectrum artery-purifier. Selenium from the garlic works to scoop cholesterol off of arterial walls. Allicin from the garlic works with the onions [not in my recipe] to raise the levels of HDL transport molecules which carry the cholesterol down to the gall bladder. The high levels of Vitamin C are used to convert the cholesterol to disposable substances. And the glutathione peroxidase made from the garlic along with the phytochemicals from the fruit and vegetables all work to magnify Vitamin C's availability. If there is a single-food defence to heart ailments, kimchi has to be it!

Healthy Kimchi Recipe

• 1 medium to large Chinese or Napa Cabbage
• 1/2 gallon (4l) water
• 1/4 cup (100g) coarse salt or table salt
  
• 1 small head of garlic, peeled and finely minced (about 6-8 large cloves)
• one 2-inch (6cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 1/4 cup (60ml) fish sauce
• 1/2 cup Korean chili powder (mix with 1/3 cup of hot water) or chili paste
• 1 bunch green onions (about five or six stalks), cut into 1-inch (3cm) lengths (use the dark green part, too, except for the tough ends)
• 1 medium daikon radish, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon honey

1. Slice the cabbage lengthwise in half, then slice each half lengthwise into 3 sections. Cut away the tough stem chunks.

2. Dissolve the salt in the water in a very large container, then submerge the cabbage under the water. Put a plate on top to make sure they stay under water, then let stand overnight or at least 5 or 6 hours.  When ready to prepare, briskly rinse under running water.

3. Once you are ready to prepare your kimchi, mix the chili power with 1/3

4. Mix the chili paste you've just made with the cabbage with half of the green onions (the green parts).  You can use a wooden or plastic spatula. 

5. In a food processor, process the rest of the green onions with the garlic and ginger.

6. Combine all ingredients (including fish sauce and honey) and mix.  If mixing by hand, wear rubber gloves since the chili paste can stain your hands, and as this recipe is very spicy, it could burn them, too.

7. Pack the kimchi in a non-reactive jar (or other container--enough to hold it all and cover it tightly with a few inches of room at the top to prevent the kimchi from spilling over once it begins to ferment). Let stand for two to three days in a cool place, around room temperature.

7. Check the kimchi after 1-2 days. If it’s bubbling a bit, it’s ready and should be refrigerated. If not, let it stand another day or two, when it should be ready.

Once it is ready, refrigerate it and (as long as you dip it out with clean utensils) it should last at least three weeks and as long as six.