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Do the Congee –COOKING— Fat Boy Thin

“A hungry man can’t see right or wrong. He just sees food.” Pearl S. Buck

Would you sauté, roast or boil a cat? One factor I’ve noticed while doing two days fasting per week is things I wouldn’t normally eat have started to look more attractive as potential meals: stray cats, car tyres, curtains … do something. Save cats! Consume tasty alternatives.

I’ve been following the Intermittent Fasting approach to weight loss since 20th November 2012 … and two 300 calorie intakes (250 calories for women) are part of the plan. When Christmas came around I eased up and have missed days here and there like my birthday and when I went to the London Book Fair. Still I’m around 2 stone lighter (28 lbs or 12.7 kg) six months on.

Tough at Times

There are fasting days when I feel fine and there are no pangs. At other times I want variety — that leads to experimentation. This is a simple soup to prepare and both filling and delicious.

The eating pattern I’m working to is five days of normal eating and two days of fasting:

Fasting day: Normal breakfast and two 300cal (250cal for women) meals. There is no other eating until breakfast the following morning.

One of my regular meals is porridge (oatmeal) and sultanas (Recipe to follow). I eat a lot of that and, when monotony strikes, I do something different; like …

MacCongee
I enjoy this basic ‘Congee’ recipe. It could be vegetarian too. 

Ingredients:
50g (40g women)Brown Rice
50g Baby Spinach
3 (2 women) Fish/Crab Sticks
1 serving stock (Chicken or Fish Stock Pots are tasty)

Preparation:

  • weigh rice
  • chop up 3 fish sticks
  • weigh spinach
  • have stock ‘stuff’ available

Method:
  1. Put your rice in a small pan and cover with half a litre of water. Don’t salt it. Watch the rice as it comes to the boil and then reduce it to a simmer for around 30 minutes.
  2. After 30 minutes add the stock to the liquid which will look quite cloudy. Stir the stock in until it is dissolved. 
  3. Check the rice to be sure the grains are soft.
  4. Add the spinach and cook stir in until it is wilted and soft.
  5. Add the fish sticks and let it return to the simmer.
  6. Taste the congee to check the flavour and season to taste if needed. The stock should add enough salt but you might add some chilli sauce or, perhaps, lemon or lime juice to vary the flavour.
  7. Put into a large bowl and enjoy. Sup slowly and savour the flavour. 
Fasting is tougher than it sounds. The good news is that when it’s hurting you can remind yourself that you’ll be eating normally tomorrow.

It works and my doctor is happy with the approach.  I hope this recipe will tingle your taste buds. 

© Mac Logan

Mac Logan lives near Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the author of The Angels’ Share thriller series. You can see Mac talking about his writing.

The Angels’ Share and DarkArt, are available as are two back-stories Fumble and The First Battle. All are published by Fantastic Books Publishing.

Mac will soon be releasing series non-fiction books on the human aspects of work.

You can contact Mac here. Follow Mac on Twitter: @MacLogan_writes

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