Rice Porridge (Congee) with Preserved Duck Egg & Pork (Pi Dan Shou Rou Zhou)
- camissonia
- Nov 21
- 1 min read
When I was knee-high to a grasshopper, I used to call these ebony-hued & ghoulish green-centered duck productions "Thousand-Year-Old Eggs." Not a diss, but simply the moniker that was passed down to me by the family elders. I have to admit I absolutely abhorred the taste of this seeming abomination of nature throughout my formative years. My grandma would always serve these eggs as an appetizer for Chinese New Year, and I always had to find a way to pretend that I ate them. But who was I to judge, since I also had the extremely poor taste back then to despise anything that remotely emoted onion - e.g., bulb onions, scallions, chives, etc., etc. As a reformed adult, however, with more mature tastes, I grew to like not only onions of every ilk, but also this spectacular, eggtacular delight for its culinary merits. Gotta admit, though, I still hate that other childhood pet peeve of mine: sea cucumber...
Congee is basically a rice porridge and comes in many iterations. It can be made plain, with seafood, pork, or other meats. This version is quite common and well-known to the Chinese palate. I don't know its exact origin (I don't believe it's Taiwanese, as we've always eaten just plain congee at home and I never had this until I came to LA), but I've concocted by own version over the years and think it's good eats.
1
Note on the sauce:
*Hondashi powder is a Japanese granulated seasoning typically used to make bonito soup stock. It's available in many Asian markets and online.
2
Note on the sauce:
**Yiu Tiao are Chinese fried dough or crullers. They can often be found in the freezer section of Asian markets.
3
Note on the sauce:
***Maggi Sauce is somewhat like soy sauce but made from hydrolyzed wheat protein instead of soy beans. Along with Oyster sauce, it's a tasty seasoning for congee.
Notes
1
Fill a large stock pot with 2 gallons + 1 quart (9 quarts) of water. Add country ribs (whole - do not cut into pieces), 1 tbsp Hondashi, 2 tbsp kosher salt and 1 tsp sesame oil; bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that develops.
Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until pork is tender. Continue skimming off any foam that develops during the cooking process.
2
When the pork is tender, remove to a chopping board with tongs and let cool until easy to handle. In the meantime, keep stock on a low simmer. Shred meat from bones and set aside.
3
Add 3 cups of rice to the stock and bring heat up if necessary to bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer. Add shredded meat, 1 tsp sesame oil and 1/2 tsp white pepper to the rice mixture. Cover and cook over low heat for another 30 minutes or until rice is very soft and tender.
4
To serve: ladle the rice porridge/congee into individual serving bowls and top with diced preserved duck eggs, shredded ginger, scallion, cilantro, and sliced yiu tiao. Serve with oyster sauce, Maggi sauce, extra sesame oil and white pepper on the side as condiments.
Instructions
2 3/4 lbs bone in or boneless pork country ribs
2 gallons + 1 quart water (36 cups water)
1 tbsp Hondashi*
2 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
3 cups short-grained rice
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup chopped scallion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 tbsp finely shredded ginger
Sliced Yiu Tiao**
Oyster sauce
Maggi sauce***
Sesame oil
White pepper
Garnishes, seasonings & sides
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Rice Porridge (Congee) with Preserved Duck Egg & Pork (Pi Dan Shou Rou Zhou)
Prep Time
20 min
Cooking Time
2 hours
Rest Time
0 min
Total Time
2 hours 20 min
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