BREAKING NEWS!!!
Did you know that you can make delicious congee with slow-cooked flavor from scratch in 20 minutes? I’m not talking about getting it done in a pressure cooker either. This extremely exciting cooking technique I am about to reveal 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.
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 this 15-minute congee recipe and it immediately caught my attention, because I–like you right now–thought that there was NO way that 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 is that the congee did not cook to the right consistency in 15 minutes, but 20 minutes was the right amount of time to reach the texture that you see in our pictures.
The technique for this 20-minute congee recipe is in FREEZING the rice ahead of time: wash the rice, drain, and put the washed rice in a zip-loc bag (or freezer-safe container), and 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 the 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, people.
While this newfound cooking technique is a game changer, this congee with pork and thousand year old egg is a dish with a long history and is 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 awful name–one that inspires equal parts terror and horror. That scene from Fear Factor comes to mind: the poor girl who was 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 along with my $50,000 check!
For all of you health nuts out there (that’s if you’re still reading), skip this post–it’s not for you. For you daredevils, thrill seekers, and Andrew Zimmern types, give this recipe a try. And for people who grew up eating this congee or are nostalgic for authentic Cantonese flavors, this one is a big welcome home with minimal effort, from me to you!
You’ll need:
- ¾ cup white rice
- 4 ounces pork shoulder, julienned
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 7 cups water or chicken broth
- 2 thousand year-old eggs
- 3 slices ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- Salt to taste
- Chopped scallion and cilantro, to garnish
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)
- 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.
- 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
Giselle says
Does this freezing method work with red/green beans as well? Cooking red/green bean soup desserts take too long (without blending) and I was hoping this could work too.
Judy says
Hi Giselle, this method does not apply to beans. You can soak the beans overnight before cooking to drastically shorten the cooking time :-)