Rice Porridge (Congee) With Century Egg and Pork

      No matter lives in southern or northern China, Chinese love to have congee for breakfast. My family loves this food as well. My dad always cooks a congee after dinner, and then put it in slow cooker one night. When you recook it the other day morning, you will find it would be more delicious.

      There’s no right or wrong way to make congee, since it’s a very informal dish so there's really no official recipe. Let’s start to cook!

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked white rice

1 cup lean pork, sliced thinly

2 century eggs, peeled and cut into cubes

Seasonings:

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vegetable oil

3 cups cold water

1 inch piece ginger

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped green onion, extra for garnish

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp white pepper

dark soy sauce (to taste)

Time:

Prep: 35 mins

Cook: 45 mins

Yield: serves 4

Method:

Ÿ   Soak the rinsed white rice, salt and vegetable oil in the cold water for 30 mins.

Ÿ   Add the ginger and chicken broth and bring to a boil, simmer for 25 mins, stirring occasionally in the beginning and then more frequently near the last 10 mins (to prevent sticking).

Ÿ   Add the green onions, century eggs, and pork. Simmer for 5 mins.

Ÿ   Add the sesame oil and ground white pepper.

Ÿ   Serve the congee in bowls and garnish with a tiny drizzle of the dark soy sauce (start with a tiny bit at first, add more later if desired) and garnish with some chopped green onions.

Tips:

Congee is a porridge made from rice cooked in lots of water or stock. It’s a good way to use up the leftover rice from the previous day. The rice is cooked for a long time until it breaks down and the porridge thickens. It can be as thin as soup or as thick as oatmeal. Congee is very popular for breakfast because it is filling and warms the body.

Enjoy your homemade flavor!

Remember: Cooking time would be slightly varied between different cooking wares.