Pork and Century Egg Congee (皮蛋瘦肉粥)- Oh My Food Recipes

Name: Congee with pork and century egg
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Rice (( Jasmine rice )); 4 cups Water; 1 Century egg; 5 slices Ginger ((1 oz)); 2 sticks Green onion ((0.5 oz)); 2 pieces Pork ((Country style boneless pork ribs around 1/4 pound)); 2 teaspoons Sesame oil; 1/8 teaspoon White pepper; 1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon Salt

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Pork and century egg congee is a classic Cantonese breakfast like lo mai gai, scallion pancake, soy sauce noodles, turnip cake, siu mai, custard bun, taro bun, and cheung fun. It is a dim sum item and served in the morning for breakfast. You will love this simple, easy and tasty authentic Chinese pork century egg congee recipe. Also, it has both stove top and instant pot methods. Let's learn how to make century egg congee with step by step photos and a video!

Love Chinese food? Check out these pan fried dumplings, sweet & sour pork, eggplant & pork, gai lan, char siu, pan fried buns, crispy noodles, and ham fried rice recipes.

pork century egg congee on a white spoon with a clay bowl

What is congee?

Congee is a kind of rice porridge. And, it is very common and popular in Asian countries. Also, congee is made of rice and water. It has a plain flavor, so in Cantonese we call it baak zuk (白粥) or mandarin in bai zhou (白粥) literally translate as white porridge. It specially serves people who are ill or not feeling well in Chinese culture.

However, some people like to add salt, meats, fish and vegetables to make different flavors of congee for meals and breakfast. In addition, people like to eat rice porridge with youtiao (油條) and Cantonese soy sauce noodles for breakfast or as a meal.

The thickness of congee depends on how much water you add and how long to cook. However, you can always adjust the viscosity by adding more water or cooking a little longer.

What is the difference between rice porridge and congee?

Rice porridge and congee both are the terms that involve cooking rice until it becomes a soft, porridge-like consistency. They differ in terms of name, origin, consistency, seasonings and occasions for serving. Congee is more commonly associated with savory versions and Asian cuisines. While rice porridge in Western cultures is often sweetened and served as a dessert.

What is century egg pork congee (皮蛋瘦肉粥)?

In this pork and century egg congee recipe, I am going to add lean pork and century egg to make a famous and classic Hong Kong pork and preserved egg congee. Century egg congee often serves as breakfast or dim sum items at Chinese dim sum restaurants like lo mai gai, scallion pancake, soy sauce noodles, turnip cake, siu mai, custard bun, taro bun and cheung fun.

Besides, in this pork century egg congee recipe has both top stove and instant pot methods. Using an instant pot pressure cooker definitely helps cooking congee easier and speeds up the cooking time. Also, the texture of rice porridge and taste is better and has more flavor.

What is a century egg?

Century egg has other names such as preserved egg, hundred-year egg, thousand-year egg, millennium egg, skin egg, black egg and in Chinese literally translated as leather egg. Some eggs near the surface of egg white have pine branches or snowflake patterns which are dendrites and crystallized form of various salt. Therefore, it is also called pine-patterned eggs.

preserved egg or century egg cut it into half

Although it is named a hundred-year egg or thousand-year egg, they are not that old. Actually, it’s around 100 days old. It is made from duck eggs and traditionally preserved and mixed with clay, ash, salt, quicklime and rice hulls for several weeks to months depending on the methods and processes.

Through the preserved process, the egg yolk becomes dark green and grey. And, the egg white becomes a darker brown and jelly like texture. This preserved egg that I bought, the yolk is a little runny and creamy. However, most of the time they are solid. It depends which one you prefer.

What does century / preserved egg taste like?

The egg white has a slightly salty flavor. Also, the yolk is a little creamy and has a strong flavor due to alkaline salt.

What kind of brand do you use for preserved eggs?

Any brand works. Personally, I prefer made from Taiwan and some packages even labeled Lead free because some manufacturers from China use some chemical that has Lead to speed up the preserved process. To be safe always look for Lead free on the package.

What are the ingredients for pork century egg congee?

The ingredients are rice, water, lean pork, thousand-year egg, ginger, green onion, sesame oil, white pepper, garlic powder and salt.

What kind of rice do you use for rice porridge?

The type of rice used for rice porridge can vary depending on regional preferences and personal taste. I like to use either short grain or long grain rice. If you use short grain rice like Japanese rice, it has a high starch content that contributes to a creamy and thick texture. Or, you can use long grain rice like Jasmine; it will result in a lighter and slightly less sticky porridge. In this pork and century egg congee recipe, I used Jasmine rice.

Can I refrigerate congee?

Yes, you can refrigerate them for a couple days. Then, warm them up on the stove top or in the microwave. It Is best to eat them when they are freshly made and warm.

Cooking tips for how to make pork and century egg congee:

Wash and rinse rice and put into an instant pot pressure cooker. Then, add water, cover the lid and close the vent. Push the manual button and adjust time to 15 minutes and natural release.
Try not to do a quick release because it will make a mess when you release the pressure.
If you want to cook the porridge over stove top, wash and rinse the rice. Then, put the rice into a pot. Then, add water. Turn the fire to medium high until it is boiling and turn the fire to small. Let it simmer for 1-1.5 hours. Stir it once a while to prevent burning the bottom. (Add more water is needed for the stove top method.)
Cut ginger into small strips.
Cut lean pork into small thin slices and marinate for 10-15 minutes.
When the rice porridge is ready, open the lid and push the sauté button for 5 minutes. (You can sauté longer if you want thicker rice porridge.)
After that, add ginger and marinated pork, keep stirring the rice porridge to prevent the congee burn.
Until the pork is cooked, add preserved egg and green onion. The congee is thicker when it is hot. It will be a little runny when it’s cool off.
Always add salt to your taste. You can add more white pepper or sesame oil to your taste.

FAQs:

What can you add to rice porridge?

People like to add green onion, cilantro, preserved radish or youtiao (油條) to go with rice porridge.

How to handle a century egg?

Traditionally, a hundred-year egg is preserved with clay, ash, salt, quicklime and rice hulls. First, you need to dust off the coating. Then, crack the shell and wash them. After that, slice it or cut it into cubes.
In the states, thousand-year eggs do not have the coating. Often, they are cleaned and packed into individual packages and labeled where the product comes from.

How long can a century egg last?

If it is still in the package, it can last for months in the refrigerator. If it is open and remove the shell, it can last for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

What kind of pork do you use?

This classic Hong Kong style congee with pork and century egg often uses lean pork. I like to use country style boneless pork ribs because they are leaner and you can trim the excess fat.

Instruction for how to make century egg pork congee instant pot:

washed rice and water in instant pot top view

Cooking congee in instant pot:

1. Wash and rinse ½ cup of jasmine rice and put them into an instant pot. Then, add 4 cups of water. Cover the lid and close the vent. Push the manual button and adjust time for 15 minutes at high pressure and natural release.

Preparation:

2. Meanwhile, peel and cut 5 slices of ginger (1 oz) and cut into strips and set aside.

3. Wash and cut 2 sticks of green onion (0.5 oz) into small pieces and set aside.

thousand-year egg or century egg cut into slices

4. Crack 1 and remove century egg shells. Then, wash it and cut into slices.

5. After, wash and cut 2 pieces of boneless pork rib style (around ¼ pound) into small thin pieces.

Marinate pork:

6. Then, add 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder, ⅛ teaspoon of white pepper, mix it well and marinate for 15 minutes before cooking.

plain white congee or rice porridge in instant pot top view

Adding pork and preserved egg:

7. When the congee is done, open the lid and push the sauté button and adjust time for 5 minutes. (You can add more minutes if you want thicker congee).

pork ginger with congee rice porridge inside instant pot

8. Next, add the ginger and marinated pork from step 6. Keep stirring the rice porridge until the pork is cooked. (Around a couple minutes.)

preserved egg add to pork congee rice porridge inside instant pot

9. After that, add the sliced preserved egg, green onion and mix it well. You can add more salt, white pepper or sesame oil to your taste.

a scoop of pork century egg congee on a white spoon in a clay bowl

Enjoy this easy instant pot pork and century egg congee recipe! Also, check out these wonton soup, pineapple bun, Chinese hot dog, black sesame soup, sesame oil chicken rice, salt and pepper squid and cocktail bun recipes.

Stove top method:

1. Wash and rinse ½ cup of jasmine rice and put them into a pot. Then, add 6 cups of water. Turn on medium high heat, partially cover the lid until it's boiling. Then, turn the fire to small and simmer for 1-1.5 hours. Stir it once a while to prevent burning the bottom. (You can add more water if needed.)

2. Meanwhile, peel and cut 5 slices of ginger and cut into strips and set aside.

3. Wash and cut 2 sticks of green onion into small pieces and set aside.