BREAKING NEWS!!! You can make delicious congee with slow-cooked flavor––from scratch––in 20 minutes. I’m not talking about using an Instant Pot or pressure cooker either. The extremely exciting technique I’m revealing in this post will cut the usual congee cooking time by at least two thirds, if not more.
Anyone who has made congee before knows that this statement is verging on lies and deception, but hear me out.
What Is Congee?
But first, what is congee? Congee is a classic Chinese porridge made from rice, usually served for breakfast or at dim sum. It can have sweet or savory toppings––the classic has pork, scallions, ginger, and thousand year old egg. Congee is usually made by boiling rice in a lot of water for a very long time.
(Until now!)
The Secret to 20-Minute Congee
So listen to this, my cousin in Shanghai knows that we have a food blog. Once in a while, she’ll send me information or dishes that might interest me. Recently she sent me a 15-minute congee recipe, and it immediately caught my attention, because I––like you right now––thought there was NO way anyone could make a decent congee in 15 minutes––let alone a really good one!
So it was definitely worthy of the 15-minute investment to find out. My conclusion was that the congee did not cook to the right consistency in 15 minutes, but 20 minutes was the perfect amount of time to reach the texture you see in our pictures.
The secret? FREEZING the rice ahead of time: wash the rice, drain, and put the washed rice in a zip-loc bag (or freezer-safe container). Then leave it in the freezer for at least 8 hours.
The science behind it is that the moisture in the rice freezes, expands, and breaks the rice kernel into tiny pieces to dramatically reduce necessary cooking time. I also tried this method with grains like barley, brown rice, red rice, and black rice, and it works beautifully. The cooking time for grains other than white rice is just slightly longer.
Now I always keep a bag of washed rice in my freezer. I don’t have to plan ahead and invest an hour or more to make congee anymore. I can have it any time I want: breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
It’s a whole new world!
A Classic Recipe
While this newfound cooking technique is a game changer, the actual recipe––congee with pork and thousand year old egg––has a long history as a favorite Cantonese comfort food.
The elephant in the room is, of course, the thousand year-old egg. I don’t know how it earned this name, inspiring equal parts terror and horror. A scene from Fear Factor comes to mind: a poor girl asked to eat a thousand year-old egg, gagging with tears in her eyes. I would be like…hand me some soy sauce and bring it over, along with my $50,000 check!
For you daredevils, thrill seekers, and Andrew Zimmern types, give this recipe a try with the thousand year old egg. If less adventurous, you can always leave the egg out.
And for people who grew up eating this congee, nostalgic for authentic Cantonese flavors, this one is a big welcome home with minimal effort, from me to you!
Also check out our other congee recipes, including our Seafood Congee, Pork Bone Congee, and Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Congee!
20-Minute Congee with Pork & Thousand Year Old Egg: Recipe Instructions
Wash the rice, drain, and transfer to a zip-loc bag or freezer-safe container. Leave it in the freezer for at least 8 hours.
Marinate the pork with the cornstarch, oyster sauce, and vegetable oil for about 15 to 20 minutes.
In a medium pot, bring 7 cups of water to a boil. Add the frozen rice (no need to defrost) and bring it to a boil again, stirring the rice to prevent sticking.
Reduce the heat to a low simmer, and cover and cook for about 15 minutes. Periodically check and stir the congee. It’s important to stir from the bottom to prevent sticking, as the rice texture thickens quickly.
While that’s cooking, dice the thousand year-old egg and set it aside. Very thinly julienne the ginger. Don’t prepare this ahead of time, as we want the flavor of freshly cut ginger.
After 15 minutes, it’s time to add the julienned ginger, pork, and thousand year-old egg.
Stir and simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Finally, stir in the white pepper and salt to taste. Serve piping hot with chopped scallions and cilantro.
It’s that easy, folks!
20-Minute Congee with Pork and Thousand Year-Old Egg (皮蛋瘦肉粥)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup white rice
- 4 ounces pork shoulder (115g, julienned)
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 7 cups water (or chicken broth; 1.65 liters)
- 2 thousand year-old eggs
- 3 slices ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- Salt (to taste)
- Chopped scallion and cilantro (to garnish)
Instructions
- Wash the rice, drain, and transfer to a zip-loc bag or freezer-safe container. Leave it in the freezer for at least 8 hours.
- Marinate the pork with the cornstarch, oyster sauce, and vegetable oil for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium pot, bring 7 cups of water to a boil. Add the frozen rice (no need to defrost) and bring it to a boil again, stirring the rice to prevent sticking. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, and cover and cook for about 15 minutes. Periodically check and stir the congee. It’s important to stir from the bottom to prevent sticking, as the rice texture thickens quickly.
- While that’s cooking, dice the thousand year-old egg and set it aside. Very thinly julienne the ginger. Don’t prepare this ahead of time, as we want the flavor of freshly cut ginger.
- After 15 minutes, it’s time to add the julienned ginger, pork, and thousand year-old egg. Stir and simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Finally, stir in the white pepper and salt to taste. Serve piping hot with chopped scallions and cilantro.
- It's that easy, folks!
Nutrition
Note: This recipe was originally published on October 17, 2016. We have since updated it with more information, clearer instructions, and nutrition information. Enjoy!
SF says
At what point do you add the pork or is it cooked separately?
Odelia says
If you didn’t have time to freeze, the other trick I found was to cook from scratch for about 20 mins then use a whisker to gently beat and break down the rice granules for about a minute or so. You’ll thank me for this :)
Judy says
Interesting…thank you for the tip, Odelia.
Carol Jean says
Your recipe saved me this morning: as I was preparing for the workday, I realized I failed to plan ahead for my breakfast. Luckily after making this recipe a few times I’ve been in the habit of keeping a bag of rice in my freezer for “I have no idea what to cook” emergencies or spur-of-the-moment cravings. It was so easy to pull the rice and a few ginger slices from the freezer (thanks for the tip in your recent post!) and my breakfast dilemma was solved! Even though I only had one thousand year old egg and I had to sub ground pork, it was still a great breakfast. I love your site and appreciate your family sharing all of your kitchen wisdom and recipes!
Judy says
You are so welcome, Carol Jean. Happy wokking!
Nira Wong says
this sounds so easy. Can’t wait to try it. thank you.
Judy says
You will love it, Nira.
Joan says
I love eating congee, but prefer it with boiled salted duck eggs. They are not as “exotic” as the thousand year-old egg, but are also not as “freaky” sounding and easier to make yourself. I think thousand year-old eggs are better eaten cold with slices of sweeten ginger.
Judy says
Haha…I do wish thousand-year-old-eggs had a better name :-)
Katwyn says
What a fabulous tip! Thanks! It also explained why some other foods I’ve frozen have turned to mush later when cooked, like food processed fresh cauliflower. Who knew? Wow!
Judy says
You are right, Katwyn, frozen vegetables definitely cook much faster.
Paul Huckett says
When you first posted this recipe some time ago I saved it. I have now cooked it all during our Southern Hemisphere winter for a warming lunch dish , changing the ingredients to suit what is available. . Twice a week at least …..and I eat the leftovers on toasted bread for breakfast the next day ! My tip is to refill the ziplock bag with wet rice while the congee is simmering , and pop it back into the fridge immediately . It’s then always ready to cook . Thanks for another fine technique
Judy says
Thank you for your swift tip, Paul, and your lovely comment.
Marcia says
Can we make thousand year eggs at home?
Judy says
I have not looked into it, Marcia.
Emily says
I had someone once recommend blending the uncooked rice into smaller pieces to make quick congee. I haven’t tried the method though. Would you be willing to try that method and let us know if it works?
I will definitely try this method though! Love the post as always!
Judy says
Hi Emily, your idea is really the same concept as mine if you think about it!