Whenever I’m feeling under the weather or in a recovery mode (i.e. after lots of feasting), I will crave for soupy, comfort food like porridge or noodles soup – and my mom’s super easy pork porridge is just the perfect food to have. Made with just onion, pork and rice, my mom will make this whenever we fell ill or she had a chef’s block (kind of like writer’s block). Different from the Cantonese style of thick porridge (or also known as congee), this pork porridge is a lot more soupy, which makes it easy to slurp down (especially when you are having a terrible sore throat). If you are not a fan of soupy rice porridge, you can head over to my Double Egg Porridge recipe instead.
The pork porridge can be eaten immediately after it’s cooked, but it’s best to let it steep for at least 15 minutes so that the rice grains will soak up the water and plumped up, making a more filling meal. My mom never add anything extra when she make this, but for me, sometimes I will throw in a bit of chopped carrot or whisk in an egg before serving.
And we never serve this porridge in those puny, small, porcelain bowls – huge, shallow bowls are preferred as the large surface area cools down the porridge faster, because the last thing we want to do when we are sick is to spend time blowing at spoonfuls of porridge to cool them down! But of course, you can use whatever bowls you want or have at home.
And here’s how to make it!
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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 2-litre pot over medium-low heat. Add in onion. |
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| 3) Cook until the onion has softened. | 4) 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. |
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| 5) Add in the rinsed and drained rice. | 6) Add in enough water so that all the ingredients are covered by about 1 inch of water. |
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| 7) Turn the heat up to high and bring the water 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, cover the pot and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until the rice is cooked, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes. | 8) Turn off the heat and leave the porridge, covered, to steep for at least 15 minutes for the rice grains to absorb the water. If the porridge is not soupy enough, add in a bit more hot water. Season with salt to taste. |
Scoop the porridge into serving bowls, garnish with coriander and spring onion and serve!
Mom’s Pork Porridge
INGREDIENTS
- 150 grams minced pork
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 dash ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoon oil
- ½ medium onion, peeled and diced (or 1 small onion)
- ½ cup long-grain rice, rinsed and drained (see Notes 1 & 2)
- 500 ml water
- 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 2-litre pot over medium-low heat. Add in onion 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 the rice, followed by enough water so that all the ingredients are covered by about 1 inch of water.
- Turn the heat up to high and bring the water 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, cover the pot and simmer for 5 to 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. If the porridge is not soupy enough, add in a bit more hot water. Season with salt to taste.
- Scoop the porridge into serving bowls, garnish with coriander and spring onion and serve while it’s hot.
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.
- If you want to eat the porridge immediately without steeping, do increase the quantity of rice to 3/4 rice cooker cup (or 1/2 standard cup or 115 grams). You can also use this amount if you are a big eater.
- 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.
AiPing | Curious Nut says
I love porridge too. I love both the thick kind (congee) and this thin soupy kind. So comforting and so easy to whip up!
Susan says
This looks like comfort food at its finest, Jasline! Your mother was a wise person 🙂
Raymund says
I never tried pork porridge and only tried the chicken as well as the tripe ones. This looks great and in no time will make this soon. The comfort a porridge can give specailly in cold weather is amazing
ChgoJohn says
I think each of us have a similar comfort food that we call upon when not feeling well. Images of Mom are sure to fill our heads as we fill our bellies. I bet this porridge is no different. 😉
Bam's Kitchen says
Perfect breakfast food and under the weather food. I hope you are feeling okay and not sick. Take care of yourself it is the cold and flu season.
Grace Phua says
Jasline, your mum’s pork porridge is making me homesick already 🙁 I love how mums cook theirs just the way it is. I’m sure it is not just eating it that will make you feel better already, it is also knowing their love when cooking it for you already make you feel so much better. Yummy!!
Nagi@RecipeTinEats says
What a wonderful comfort food! Indeed it is perfect for under the weather feeling. It’s also perfect for breakfast. And I think I’ll need some of this. 🙂
Monica says
This looks amazing! Porridge of any kind is total comfort food and this is definitely the kind of food to eat when you’re under the weather though it makes a great breakfast anytime. My family and I love congee and I haven’t had this kind of porridge often. I wish I had a pot of it now…
Sharon D. says
This is such a heartwarming dish, Jasline. It looks so good for the soul.
We use a deep, wide plate for our porridge too, for the same reason! 😀