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. It is also a comfort food for someone who is sick, like chicken noodle soup. Congee is eaten with an assortment of dried, preserved, or pickled condiments. In century egg congee, chopped century eggs and ground pork are added.
Century Egg Congee
There’s no right or wrong way to make congee, since it’s a very informal dish so there's really no official recipe.
1 C leftover cooked rice
3 C water or stock (more or less depending on how thick you like your congee)
3 oz. ground pork, optional
1 green onion, separated into white and green part, then thinly sliced
2 century eggs, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil
Salt
Vegetable oil
Heat 1 tsp of vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the sliced white part of the green onion and ground pork. Brown the ground pork. Then add the rice, water, and white pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.
Add the soy sauce and sesame oil to the chopped century egg and let it marinade for the time you cook the congee.
If you want your congee thicker, add less water or cook it uncovered for a while and if you want it thinner, add more water. At the end of cooking, stir the century egg and sliced green part of the green onion into the congee. Cook for a minute to let it heat through. Salt to taste, then serve immediately.
Serve with condiments of choice like:
pork floss (rou song)
pickled bean curd
zha cai
bamboo shoots
wheat gluten