Pork Bone Congee
Pork bone congee or “gee gwut jook” in Cantonese phonetics, is a simple rice congee dish flavored with a meaty pork bone stock.My mom's pork bone congee soup goes back to as long as I remember it as a little kid and is just as good now as it was then!
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 5 hr
- Yield
- 12 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 3 pounds pork back bones ((cut into 2-inch pieces, washed, and drained))
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 4½ quarts water
- 2 pieces dried squid or 2 pieces dried conch or 3 large dried scallops) ((smashed into small pieces, optional))
- 1 cup uncooked rice ((soaked in water for 30 minutes))
- 1 scallion ((chopped))
- ¼ cup cilantro ((chopped))
- Fresh ground black or white pepper ((to taste))
Instructions
- 1
Rub the pork bones in 1 tablespoon of salt and marinate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight, in the refrigerator.
- 2
Put the marinated pork bones in a large pot with 4½ quarts of water, and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Skim off any foam with a spoon or a fine-meshed strainer, and discard.
- 3
Next add the dried squid/conch/dried scallops (if using), cover the pot loosely, and turn the heat down to a simmer. Let the soup simmer for 4 hours.
- 4
Taste the soup and re-season with salt if needed. Add the soaked rice and simmer for another hour. If you decide to use Judy’s method for 20-minute Congee, then all you need is an additional 30 minutes after adding the grains!
- 5
One point I’d like to make here is that the texture and consistency of congee is a very personal thing. Some like their congee cooked like a gruel, where you can’t see any signs of individual rice granules at all. Others prefer the rice granules cooked until they just open up or “blossom like a flower,” to use the literal translation of a Chinese expression. Finally, some prefer it thick and others prefer it thin. This recipe yields a thick congee, where the rice is cooked until it blossoms like a flower. But once you’re familiar with this congee recipe, feel free to adjust the amount of water and/or rice according to your own preferences!
- 6
At this point, give your congee another taste, and add additional salt to taste. Ladle the congee into small bowls, and serve with chopped scallion, cilantro, and pepper.