Whenever X and I had super heavy dinners the day before (or drank a tad too much alcohol oops!), we would crave for simple and comforting food like porridge or soups the next day. I like my porridge to be watery / soupy, like my mom’s pork porridge, but X prefers this double egg porridge, which consists of one century egg and one chicken egg.
What is Century Egg?
Century egg (aka hundred year egg, thousand year egg, preserved egg, black egg) is a preserved food delicacy popular in Asia (read more here). Traditionally, it is made by burying eggs (usually duck eggs) in a mixture of clay, wood ash, calcium oxide (or alkaline substance), and salt for days until the mud dries up. Unlike its name, this process takes only a few months (definitely not a century). Nowadays, there are shortcuts that can be taken to shorten the process.
After the preservation process, the egg yolk will become dark greyish colour (some of the yolks may still be slightly runny) while the egg white will become dark brown yet translucent, with a jelly-like texture. It has an acquired taste (I don’t know how to describe it honestly) which makes it a “Fear Factor” for some people. It can be eaten as it is (usually with pickled ginger) or cooked into dishes (like this double egg porridge today).
The Chicken Egg
Growing up, X loves adding an additional egg into his congee. It thickens the porridge and provide a slight eggy sweetness to the porridge. In order to properly thicken the porridge, the egg has to be added in just before serving. If added too early or you use a pot that retain heat very well (like a claypot), the egg will cook through and become scrambly bits suspended in the liquid. If added when the porridge is not hot enough, the egg won’t be cooked enough (just bring the porridge to a boil again if you are afraid of the raw egg). The porridge won’t thicken well if there’s too much liquid. So it’s a bit tricky, and sometimes I won’t get it right either, especially if I’ve not made the egg porridge for a long time. Nevertheless, it will still taste good (and nutritious) and there’s more reason to try again!
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| 1) Mix minced pork, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and white pepper in a small bowl and set aside. | 2) Heat oil in a 1-litre pot over medium-low heat. Add in onion and carrot and cook until the onion has softened. |
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| 3) Add in the minced pork and cook, stirring and breaking up the pork until the pork is no longer pink in colour. | 4) Add in rice. |
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| 5) Add in water (or homemade stock). | 6) Bring to a boil, stirring the pot frequently so that the rice grains don't get stuck to the bottom of the pot. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer and add in the century egg quarters. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the rice is cooked, , stirring every 2 to 3 minutes. |
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| 7) Turn off the heat and leave the porridge, covered, to steep for at least 15 minutes for the rice grains to absorb the water and plump up. | 8) When ready to serve, bring the porridge up to a rolling boil (it must be boiling vigorously). Turn off the heat and while stirring the porridge, add in the chicken egg, and stir continuously until the egg is incorporated into the porridge. |
Double Egg Porridge with Minced Pork
INGREDIENTS
- 150 grams minced pork
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 dash ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1/2 medium onion, peeled and diced into 0.5-cm pieces
- 1/2 small carrot, peeled and diced into 1-cm cubes
- 1/2 cup long-grain rice, rinsed and drained (see Note 1 & 2)
- 500 ml water, or homemade stock
- 1 century egg, peeled and cut into 6 quarters
- 1 chicken egg, cracked into a bowl
- Salt and ground white pepper, to taste
- Chopped fresh coriander and spring onion, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix minced pork, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and white pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat oil in a 1-litre pot over medium-low heat. Add in onion and carrot and cook until the onion has softened.
- Turn the heat up to medium. Add in the minced pork and cook, stirring and breaking up the pork until the pork is no longer pink in colour. Add in rice and water (or homemade stock).
- Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil, stirring the pot frequently so that the rice grains don't get stuck to the bottom of the pot. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer and add in the century egg quarters. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes until the rice is cooked, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and leave the porridge, covered, to steep for at least 15 minutes for the rice grains to absorb the water and plump up (see Note 2).½
- When ready to serve, bring the porridge up to a rolling boil (it must be boiling vigorously). If it's too dry to your liking, add in more water. Remove pot from heat and stir in the chicken egg, stirring continuously until the egg is incorporated into the porridge.
- Season with salt and ground white pepper to taste. Scoop the porridge into serving bowls, garnish with coriander and spring onion and serve immediately.
NOTES
- I'm using the rice cooker cup which measures 180ml. 1/2 rice cooker cup is around 75 grams of rice. If using standard regular cup, use 1/3 standard cup of rice.
- When first cooked, it will seem like there's not enough rice. However, after steeping for 15 minutes, the rice will plump up by a lot. Hence, steeping is essential. If you are big eater, you can increase the amount of rice used to 3/4 rice cooker cup (or 1/2 standard cup or 115 grams). The amount of water required will also have to increase accordingly.
- The porridge can be made a few hours ahead - the rice grains will become very plump after absorbing the water. Reheat until it is boiling and add more water if the porridge has dried up. It is best to consume the porridge on the day it is made.
Raymund says
Now I want some for breakfast, you made me real hungry
Jasline N. says
Hehe I’m sure your breakfast is more delicious than mine!