For my first Mother’s Day, a poem for my son. 

I wrote this when he was just a couple of months old, when the night seeped into the day like an oil spill in fresh water, when our needs were an inseparable tangle of basics, when it was just the two of us at 4 in the morning, nursing in a dimly lit room. Having no free hands, I would roll the words around in my mouth, fitting them together like puzzle pieces, repeating them over and over to remember for a time when I had a pen, so in awe of the fact that this was a being who very shortly before, simply wasn’t.

What Would You Be

What would you be if you weren’t here with me 
Would you be a small ant, or a towering tree
Would you be a bird flying effortlessly
Or maybe a lion, living wild and free

Where would you be if you weren’t here with me
Basking in heat of the Serengeti
Surfing the waves of Kuta or Bali
Or swimming in stardust of a far galaxy

And who would you be if you weren’t here with me
An artist, a poet, a film nominee
Would you be an old man who lived by the sea
Or maybe you’d wait for the next century

Whatever, wherever, whoever you’d be
Of all of the things if you weren’t here with me
In this room, in my arms, with every heartbeat
I’m so glad that you chose to be my baby 

The Ultimate Recovery Congee

I made this for my post-partum freezer, and have since made it for friends who recently gave birth because it gave me so much joy. Known for its’ medicinal qualities, congee is the ultimate comfort food. This rice porridge is cooked slowly in a large quantity of broth or stock, making it incredibly hydrating and easy to digest. I like making my own bone broth for added nutrition, but you could use good quality boxed stock instead. If you’d like it straight up, add a little soy sauce for salt and maybe some scallions or sesame oil and call it a day. (Bland congee is great for sick days or for a digestive system reset.) If you’d like to go the full mile for the *ultimate* congee, I promise it’s worth your time to include all of the fancy add ins.     

Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour

1 1/2 cups short grain brown rice
1/2 cup white sticky rice, washed and drained (optional)
10 cups high-quality bone broth or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon sea salt

Optional Easy Toppings
Chopped scallion
Sautéed vegetables
Fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, mint etc.)
Sesame seeds
Soy sauce or tamari
Sesame oil or hot chili oil
Fried shallots
Sautéed or dried shrimp
Furikake
Kimchi

Optional Fancy Toppings (click on each for the recipe)
Tamari Maple Marinated Soft Boiled Eggs
Black Garlic Oil
Black Sesame Paste with Maple and Coconut
Quick Pickled Shiitake Mushrooms with Ginger and Soy
Sauteed Bok Choy With Ginger And Chili
5-Spice Chicken

Put both kinds of rice, broth, and salt in a medium sized stockpot on high heat. Once it boils, turn heat down to low and cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the grains completely open up and become quite porridgy, about an hour. Add more stock or water if you’d like it creamier. Before serving, taste and adjust for salt (or add a little soy sauce), and add toppings of your choice.