Fry

Gingery Congee with Pork and Crispy Shallots

by:
February  9, 2010
4.8
4 Ratings
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

I think you either really love congee or really don't. But you never know until you try it. This one is good to start with as the ingredients are readily available. I always think of congee as something concocted from left-overs, so I use cooked rice. All different types of meats, vegetables, and fixings can be used as well, depending on what you have on hand. —monkeymom

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Gingery Congee
  • 1 chicken drumstick
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 pound ground pork, 1/3 for congee, 2/3 for topping
  • 2 slices of fresh ginger
  • 2 cups cooked rice (almost any type)
  • 3-4 cups water
  • salt
  • 8 napa cabbage leaves, sliced
  • Pork and Crispy Shallots
  • 4 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon cooking sherry or rice wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 2/3 of the 1/2 lb of ground pork listed above
  • 4-5 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 4 shallots, sliced thinly
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 green onion, sliced thinly
Directions
  1. Gingery Congee
  2. Put large pot on medium to high heat. Add chicken thigh and brown (you can also just use chicken stock instead of including the thigh).
  3. Add oil and about 1/3 of ground pork and ginger slices. Fry until pork browns.
  4. Add 3 cups water and rice and about 1/2 tsp salt. Stir to mix.
  5. Heat to boiling, then turn to simmer. Cook for ~30 minutes on a simmer, stirring the pot occasionally to prevent sticking. In the meantime, prepare the toppings.
  1. Pork and Crispy Shallots
  2. Add 2 tsp soy sauce, sherry, and sugar to the remaining pork. Mix together well (hands work well here).
  3. Add oil to medium size pan or wok.
  4. When oil is very hot, add about 1/3-1/2 of the shallots. Fry until deep brown and crispy. Using a slotted spoon remove shallots and drain oil from them back into the pan. Then place shallots on paper towels. Repeat with remaining shallots.
  5. Once all shallots have been fried, add green onions and garlic to the remaining oil.
  6. Add pork and toss around the pan. Cook meat through.
  7. Add 2 tsp of soy sauce and 1 Tbsp of water. Mix and let liquid reduce slightly. Remove to a bowl.
  8. Add napa cabbage and 1/2 cup more water to congee. Stir and simmer about 10-15 minutes or until the rice is done to your desired consistency.
  9. For serving, ladle congee into bowls. Add pork and shallots on top, serving the remaining on the side.
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  • sunnyluz
    sunnyluz
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    gingerroot
  • rpetralia
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  • CASJ
    CASJ
  • monkeymom
    monkeymom
monkeymom

Recipe by: monkeymom

My favorite distraction is to cook. Though science and cooking/baking have a lot in common, I'm finding that each allows me to enjoy very different parts of my life. Cooking connects me with my heritage, my family, friends, and community. I'm really enjoying learning from the food52 community, who expose me to different ingredients and new ways to cook.

17 Reviews

Robin F. March 29, 2024
Fantastic! By far the tastiest Congee I’ve ever made. Absolutely will be making on repeat. It’s like a giant hug, it’s that comforting.
 
JLGM January 29, 2022
This is one of my more admired congee recipes. The use of cabbage is less common but contributes an added subtlety in both texture and flavor. I like my congee thin and loaded with toppings; if you're similar, I recommend preparing extra pork!
 
sunnyluz February 7, 2011
This was amazing. I love congee but had never made it before. I will DEFINITELY make it again. Everyone loved it - even the 5 year old.
 
monkeymom February 8, 2011
It is truly great when kids love a new recipe!
 
jlsm February 4, 2011
You have no pork listed in the topping ingredients.
 
monkeymom February 4, 2011
thanks so much for pointing that out! I've fixed that. Also, instead of using a chicken thigh you can just use chicken stock.
 
sunnyluz February 3, 2011
I LOVE congee and have never tried to make it. Definitely going to try this recipe.
 
gingerroot August 13, 2010
I fall into the "love congee" category - my mom always makes a huge pot of turkey jook after Thanksgiving and I think it is my favorite part about turkey-day. I love that this scales it down a bit and the addition of the crispy shallots - YUM!.
 
rpetralia February 18, 2010
Sounds delish. Is it a chicken drumstick or a thigh, and when do you remove the bones/skin?
 
monkeymom February 18, 2010
Hi, thanks! You could use either (or any chicken part). When you are ready to serve, you can remove the meat from the bone...I used a pair of kitchen shears on this batch. I liked the way the meat was still a little firm. Roast chicken leftovers or bones also work very well to flavor the rice too.
 
CASJ February 10, 2010
I can't wait to try this. Wow!
 
monkeymom February 10, 2010
Hey thanks! Fried shallots are sort of like miniature onion rings. Please do try it and let me know how it turned out.
 
WinnieAb February 10, 2010
This looks really delicious...and the photo is beautiful, too!
 
mrslarkin February 10, 2010
Sound delicious! Great picture, too.
 
healthierkitchen February 10, 2010
Hurray! I will definitely be trying this.
 
lastnightsdinner February 10, 2010
Simply mouthwatering!
 
crispywaffle February 10, 2010
I really like the addition of crispy shallots here -- nice idea!