Classic Chinese style congee with pork and famous century egg
After all the indulgence in all Chinese New Year food, it is time to clear up the stomach. So the breakfast of my recent week is mainly congee or sometimes porridge. If you are wondering about the difference, the answer is that congee is thick porridge, usually with some side ingredients added mainly for flavoring purpose.
Cooking a congee is simple but not as easy as it appears to be. The steps include wash rice, boil rice with water and then add wanted seasonings. Easy? Haha.
Historically, poor people used porridge frequently because one cup of rice would feed the whole family. Later, Chinese people began to value congee. People in different regions have different preference:either congee or porridge. For example, my mom loves to make porridge in summer days, usually served with Sichuan style noodles in Chili oil or sometimes with steamed buns. However, congee with other ingredients is more popular in Guangdong province and Hong Kong. We have seafood congee, vegetable congee, and pork congee, shrimp congee etc.
This classic pork congee introduced today sometimes is served in some dim sum halls. Though it looks plain, I bet the taste will amaze you.
The skill I introduce today is to pre-soak and pre-marinade your rice before boiling. The soaking process make the rice easier to break and marinating process make the congee smooth and creamy. By the way, not only white rice can be used to make congee, if you love mixed version with other grains, check Chinese eight-treasure congee for some idea.
Chinese Congee with Pork and Century Egg
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup white rice , I am using jasmine white rice
- 2.5 L water or stock
- 1 spring onion , finely chopped
- chopped coriander
- pinch of salt
Marinades for rice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil
Side ingredients
- 1 century egg , shelled and diced
- 1 cup minced pork
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Wash the rice; soak with clean water for at least 1 hour. Transfer out and drain.
- Marinate rice with salt and oil. Rest for around 15 minutes. And then marinate minced pork with cornstarch and pinch of salt.
- In a pot, bring water or stock to a boil and then add rice. After 10 minutes, turn down the fire to simmer for around 40 minutes or until the rice is almost broken. Stir several times to prevent rice stick to the bottom.
- Place pork and century egg in. Continue simmer for around 5 to 8 minutes over medium fire.
- Sprinkle salt and mix well.
- Transfer to serving bowl, top with spring onion, coriander plus preserved Sichuan mustard (optional) before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
You list cornstarch in the ingredients but where do you use it in the recipe? I also like to add a cooked salted egg to my congee.
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the correctness. I forgot to add the step of marinating the pork with cornstarch. Cornstarch is called for the pork. Happy cooking ahead.
Chris, read instruction #2.
Did you make the century eggs? Would you share the recipe on how to make them? Thank you. Beautiful bog!
Hi Hieo, we do make century eggs with a traditional way, but there is no flowers on the surface. I will describe the process next time.
Hi! I was wondering if the cooking step done in the pot is with the lid on or off?
I made this in an Instant Pot with the lid on, and the result was probably a bit on the watery side. Maybe because the water didn’t have a chance to cook off?
Jill,
If you cook this in Instant pot, cover with a silver paper.