Century Egg Porridge (皮蛋粥)

Making porridge, especially this Century Egg Porridge (皮蛋粥), is a quite simple and easy process despite it’s sophisticated appearance. The key is to have the perfect ratio of rice and water. The ratio depends on your preference. I like to have porridge on a thicker side, so my ratio of 1:6 (1 cup of rice to 6 cup of water) is awesome. However, my husband likes it more to the watery side, so I would have to add more cups of water only if he is really dying to have his porridge. Yeah, the cooks always get what she wants ^.^

For this recipe, I am using century egg (皮蛋 or pi dan) as it is nicely complements with porridge. The egg itself, after boiling it, will have a dark brown jelly-like outer texture and creamy inner texture. According to Wikipedia, the egg is preserved in either a mixture of clay, ash, or several weeks to several months. The egg itself has a strong smell and you will notice it when preparing the dish. However, once it is served and mixed with the porridge, it will be better – I wouldn’t say it’s completely gone, as I don’t have a strong sense of smell.

Anyway, please do give it a try and I would love to know what you think.

Tip: I like my porridge to be on a little thicker side, so I use 1-cup rice to 6-cup water ratio. You can always add more water if you like it more watery.

Ingredient:

• 1 cup rice
• 6 cup water
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon instant hon dashi (fish stock)
• Salt and pepper (about a pinch each)
• 2 century eggs (Chinese: 皮蛋; pinyin: pídàn)

Direction:

• Clean the rice and put in a pan with water. Cook it on a medium heat. Stir occasionally
• When the water starting to boil, add ground pork, minced garlic, hon dashi, salt and pepper. Lower the heat and cook until the rice is soft or about 20-30 minutes. Don’t forget to stir occasionally so the rice doesn’t stick to the pan.
• In the meantime, hard-boil the century egg in a separate pan and, once it is cooked, set aside. When it is cooled off, peel and cut into wedges
• When the porridge is done, add the century eggs. Mix well and enjoy while it’s hot!