Silky Congee with Salted Duck Egg, Pork Floss & Ginger Scallion Oil

⏱ 75 min · Serves 4

The ultimate bowl of Cantonese comfort: rice simmered down to a velvety porridge, crowned with jammy salted duck egg, a fluffy cloud of pork floss and a slick of hot ginger-scallion oil. Cheap, restorative and quietly luxurious.

Per serving: 448 kcal · 24.5g protein · 36.0g carbs · 22.5g fat

Ingredients

• 150g jasmine rice
• 1 tsp neutral oil (for coating rice)
• 2 litres chicken stock or water
• 1 thumb ginger, peeled and sliced into coins
• 200g pork loin or chicken thigh, thinly sliced (optional)
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 cooked salted duck eggs, peeled and quartered
• 40g pork floss (rousong)
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp finely julienned ginger
• 3 tbsp neutral oil (for the ginger scallion oil)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• White pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Handful fried shallots or crushed fried wonton strips, to serve
• Coriander leaves, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs almost clear, drain well, then toss with 1 tsp oil and a pinch of salt. Let it sit 10 minutes — this helps the grains break down into creaminess.
2. Bring the stock and ginger coins to a rolling boil in a large heavy pot. Add the rice, stir once, and return to the boil.
3. Drop to the lowest simmer, lid ajar, and cook 50–60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and scraping the base so nothing catches. The congee is ready when the grains have collapsed and it coats a spoon like thin cream. Loosen with hot water if it thickens too far.
4. Meanwhile, toss the sliced pork with the cornflour, soy sauce and a pinch of white pepper; leave to marinate.
5. Make the ginger scallion oil: put the julienned ginger and two-thirds of the spring onions in a small heatproof bowl. Heat the 3 tbsp oil until shimmering and just smoking, then pour over — it will sizzle. Stir in the sesame oil and a pinch of salt.
6. Five minutes before serving, stir the marinated pork into the simmering congee in small batches so it stays tender. Cook 3–4 minutes until just done. Season with salt and plenty of white pepper.
7. Ladle into warm bowls. Top each with quartered salted duck egg, a generous mound of pork floss, a spoonful of ginger scallion oil, the remaining spring onions, fried shallots and coriander. Eat immediately, while it steams.