If you do not care to read the introductory guff, click here for the recipe.
Dear Reader,
I hope you had a good week. I had a fabulous week. Everything went swimmingly well, and it ended peacefully.
Tonight, I am adding beans to my congee. I got the idea from Rebecca Clyde, from the Facebook group “Cooking for One”. Rebecca is a US-based registered nutritionist who shares recipes on her blog. Her recipe for beans and rice cooked in a pressure cooker caught my attention because she separated the beans and the rice in the cooking vessel. I decided against the rice and bean schism and cleaved them in congee.
I’ll have enough leftover congee for many meals and for developing resistant starches to assist my gut microbiota[1–3].
What have I been listening to?
Jessica Cyphers blogs about writing, teaching, and travel, and she has been sharing in her weekly newsletter some snippets from a book she’s reading, titled, The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté and his son Daniel Maté and published in 2022. Daniel narrates the audio version of the book. The subtitle for the book is Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture. Gabor is a Canadian medical practitioner who clarifies the psychosomatic basis for disease. As a specialist pathologist, I find his thesis interesting. I think clinicopathological correlation should always include psychiatric input.
In contrast to the Armour of God sermon series (sixty-eight sermons) by Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Ephesians 6:10–13, I’ve enjoyed; I am listening to 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene to understand better some behaviours I see around me. While Elon Musk does not enamour me as a person, I have more respect for the name Tesla having listened to the first seven chapters of this book.
Stuff on the screen
Did you hear about the incident with the Spanish MasterChef TV show? I imagine the contestants execrated the food managers on that occasion. I’ve not watched the Australian version of MasterChef or My Kitchen Rules for a few years because I can no longer access free-to-air TV. I don’t know if similar situations have occurred in Australia.
One food-related program I did watch with interest is Hunger on Netflix. The actors are Thai, and the story revolves around a noodle cook invited to join the restaurant crew under a chef who attracts wealthy clientele. It is not a movie for the faint-hearted.
Also, on Netflix, I watched Miriam Margoyles in her three-part documentary, “Almost Australian“. I watched it on Anzac Day. Coincidentally, Miriam visits Anzac Hill in Alice Springs in Episode Two. I attended a dawn service on Anzac Hill years ago during my Darwin years. Many of the crew from HMAS Arunta were present (the Arunta name and original motto, ‘Conquer or Die,’ recognise the ship’s history and ongoing relationship with the Arrernte people of Central Australia), with a RAN Chaplain officiating the service. I recommend watching Australia Unmasked.
Recipe
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- Brown rice – 1 cup
- Black beans (or pinto beans) – ½ cup
- Vegetable stock – 2 litres
- Chicken thighs – 2 thighs
- Duck breast
- Brussels sprouts
- Broccoli
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Wash the rice until the water is clear.
- Wash the beans to remove grit and dirt.
- Bisect the chicken thighs with a machete, cane knife, or humungous Chinese meat cleaver.
- Boil the vegetable stock and add some dried porcini mushrooms until the mushrooms bloat and become tender.
- Add the mushroom-enhanced stock to the pressure cooker with the rice, beans, duck, and chicken.
- Cook everything for one hour.
- Allow the pressure to equilibrate and open the lid.
- Remove the bones from the meat, and then with a wooden spoon, mix everything so the rice, beans, and chicken are combined.
- Season to taste.
- Cook some halved Brussels sprouts and broccoli florets in the air fryer.
- Spoon some congee into a bowl and add some soy sauce.
- Serve the congee with Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and some spring onions.
- Give thanks to the Lord.
- Eat with a spoon.
Thoughts on the meal
Congee aficionados might object to the addition of beans. The hue of the congee was darker than normal; however, the taste was amazing. I like to experiment and try new things.
The congee was enjoyable and comforting.
Photographs
What else have I eaten this week?
References
- Wen, J.J., et al., Resistant starches and gut microbiota. Food Chem, 2022. 387: p. 132895.
- DeMartino, P. and D.W. Cockburn, Resistant starch: impact on the gut microbiome and health. Curr Opin Biotechnol, 2020. 61: p. 66-71.
- Raigond, P., R. Ezekiel, and B. Raigond, Resistant starch in food: a review. J Sci Food Agric, 2015. 95(10): p. 1968-78.
Your meals always look so gourmet, Gary! I wish I had the patience for cooking. Alas, when I cook for myself, I don’t often put in much effort.
And thanks for the mention! I’m still thoroughly enjoying Gabor’s book. I am going to have to check out “Armour of God” and “48 Rules of Power,” too. Those both sound interesting.
I hope you have a great day!!
Hi Jessica,
Thanks for your comments and your kind words. I’ve found comfort and relaxation in food for most of my life. Both the cooking and the eating. I’m trying not to eat as much, but still like to cook. It relaxes me. Added to that is the fun of photography (including the editing); it’s a great hobby for an older bloke who lives alone.
All of the things that you ate sound delicious! I saw Hunger pop up on my recommended list but good to have a warning about it. I haven’t heard much buzz about it so I knew nothing about it. Is it like The Menu?
Hi Lorraine,
The plots for “The Menu” and “Hunger” are different; however, both are dark in their own way.
A filling and healthy dish so easy and simple to cook on the stovetop – lovely aromas and ease in managing the dry beans – each package varies as does water quality from day to day – cooking in a pressure cooker is never recommended as each cook needs differing times. I always add onion and cumin at least. And I must admit that tho’ I love both the sprouts and broccoli methinks the two loathe one another 😉 !
Hi Eha,
Thanks for your comment and sharing your opinion.
That looks very wholesome, Gaz! I saw the trailer for Hunger and I like the stars in it, but the gruesome factor put me off. I bought a Gabor Mate book on co-dependency for someone recently, and they found it useful.
Hi Emma,
There was certainly a gruesome factor to Hunger. I wasn’t expecting it at all.