Chinese Ground Pork Congee Rice Porridge
This Chinese Ground Pork Congee Porridge Recipe is full of flavor and the perfect Asian comfort food for cold weather. This nourishing, one pot meal is a hug in a bowl, and will take you right back to your childhood! (Cantonese congee takes at least an hour to cook to cook till thick and creamy, so I also share 4 hacks to reduce the cooking time from 70-90 minutes to 25 minutes!)
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 10 min
- Yield
- 7 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 lb ground pork (If possible, get pork with a higher fat content.)
- 1½ thumbs ginger (About 3-4 inches long in total. Cut 3 slices and grate the rest. I suggest julienning extra as a garnish.)
- 2 cloves garlic (Minced)
- ½ Tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon salt ( Substitute: light soy sauce or fish sauce)
- 1 teaspoon cornflour
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
- ⅛-¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 Cup long grain jasmine rice
- 12 Cups water
Instructions
- 1
Marinate the ground pork with the ginger, garlic, white pepper, salt, sugar, sesame oil and Shaoxing wine. Mix well so the marinate is well-spread in the meat mixture.
- 2
Add the cornflour and mix evenly.
- 3
Place the meat back in the fridge. Note: I usually do this right before I want to cook, but you can do it the night before if you want the flavor to really soak in.
- 4
Put the rice in a fine sieve and rinse 2-3 times with cold water till the water runs clear.
- 5
Heat 1 teaspoon of sesame oil to a pot, then briefly stir-fry the ginger and rice. (They need to be dry or the oil will sputter. If you want to skip this step, just bring the water to the boil, then add the rice and allow it to a simmer, covered, for 70 minutes or so.)
- 6
Add the 12 cups of water (or chicken stock) into the pot and bring to the boil over high heat, stirring simultanously.
- 7
Once it reaches a boil, reduce to low or medium heat till it reaches a simmer. Keep stirring to prevent the rice from sticking to the pot.
- 8
Once simmering, partially cover with the lid and simmer for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 15 mintues or so. (You should not have to add water but, if your fire is too hot and your congee looks dry, do add more water or stock.)
- 9
After 35-40 minutes, remove the pork from the fridge and allow it to come back to room temperature. (This makes it juicier.)
- 10
15-20 minutes later, once the pork is at room temperature and the congee is at your desired consistency, bring the pot back to the boil. NOTE: If the congee is too thick, add more water, if it's too thin, stir and boil it for longer but make sure the pork is not at room temperature for too long.
- 11
Once boiling, add the pork to the congee and stir till cooked for 5 to 10 more minutes. (Stirring helps thicken the congee even more.)
- 12
Season to taste with salt. Garnish with julienned ginger, these congee toppings and side dishes, and/ or a drizzle of sesame oil.