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!
KitCat says
Hello!
Love this website!! Have tried many of your recipes and love the advice give!
I included organic millet (2 tablespoons) into my congee and it turned out great!
Judy says
Yayyy!
rei says
This is a great recipe (as are so many others, love your website, love the recipes), but I think there is an even easier way for a faster congee…
You can buy organic rice flakes (I’m from Germany, there are available at all organic supermarkets and drugstores – they are made from brown rice, mostly, and are of really high quality) or flattened rice, also called Poha (in Indian supermarkets).
These cook superfast, you can achieve a decent Chinese congee consistence in 10-20 minutes.
However, as I am a chinese medicine student, I have to say that congee which cooks longer is considered far more benficial for the Qi (energy), indeed, the longer it cooks, the more energy it’s said to have.
I personally tend to cook either the organic rice flakes, or normal short grain rice, in lots of water, bringing it to a boil and then simmering it on the lowest stove setting, for about 30-60 minutes, while I do other housework or yoga – once the stove is at the correct low setting, the congee is only simmering, and a large and heavy enough pot is used, it is nearly foolproof, if you look at it from time to time.
Then I spice it up with thin cut vegetables, egg, a bit of meat or ham, spring onions and ginger, soy or oyster sauce, like your recipe… Thank you again!
Judy says
Thank you, Rei, for your input, these are all very good ideas :-)
Judy says
Thank you so much for your input, Rei.
Leanne says
I tried it and it’s fantastic! Thank you for the recipe.
Judy says
You are welcome, Leanne.
LD says
Hi, would parboiled white rice work with this method? Also, is this method for long grain or short grain white rice?
Thanks in advance!
Judy says
Hi LD, this method works with parboiled white rice, long rice or short grain.
Andrew says
Is the rice cooked or uncooked before freezing?
Judy says
Uncooked!
Cecilia Lee says
I just tried to cook the porridge. Followed what was instructed here. Freeze the rice in freezer overnight n at least 18 hours but the porridge did not turn into congee. What went wrong? This instruction is foolproof but it didn’t work
Judy says
Hi Cecilia, did you wash the rice first, drain, then freeze?
Jane says
Does the pork go in raw?
Bill says
Hi Jane, yes, the pork goes in raw and is cooked in the congee.