It has been raining heavily almost everyday all over Malaysia for 2 weeks now. With the flooding situation in our neighbouring countries – Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Philippines, Malaysian government have been warning us of pending flood coming soon to our shores. It is heartbreaking to watch our neighbours suffer, and I pray for the weather to change soon.
These rainy days had me craving for a bowl of hot steaming porridge, particularly Roasted Pork Bones and Salted Egg Porridge my mama used to cook long ago. Porridge or congee is undoubtedly a top comfort food for most Asians – especially for the Chinese people. My mama buys Roasted Pork Bone from the butcher because these bones give a distinct smoky salted flavour to the porridge – that taste so good. As I was lazy to visit the butcher during rainy days, I tried roasting the pork bones I have in my freezer. You can also buy Roast Pork or Roast Pork Ribs from the butcher.
The other ingredient is Salted Egg, which is normally preserved duck eggs. Chinese people use them to make moon cakes, glutinous rice dumplings and many other dishes.
The result of the first time my Roast Pork Bones was not too bad, except they lack the smoky flavour. As I’ve been trying to cut down on my pork intake (not advisable for blood type O), I’m not in a hurry to find the perfect smoky roast recipe. Until my craving comes back again..
- 300 gm Roasted Pork Bones
- 1 Salted Egg – wash off the sand
- 1 cup Rice
- 4 cups water (or adjust to your preference)
- Salt to taste
- Spring Onions, Ground Pepper and Sesame Oil to serve
- Bring rice to boil with the 4 cups of water in a medium pot, and add in Pork Bones. Turn the fire to low and half cover the lid on the pot. Let porridge simmer for about 30 minutes or until porridge is tender and gluey.
- Meanwhile, boil the salted egg, in its shell. Once cooked, peel the egg shell and smash the egg with a fork.
- The porridge is tender and gluey (or to your preferred consistency), stir in the salted egg, add salt to taste and switch off the heat.
- Dish up and serve with spring onions, a dash of pepper and a drizzle of sesame oil for that extra flavour, if desired.
- Marinate 300g Pork Bones with 2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon of 5 spice powder and roast in oven for about 45 minutes. The meat will shrink and is slightly crispy.
Simply Delish on a cold rainy day
November 19, 2011 at 7:48 AM
I have seen salted eggs around a few times but not really familiar with them…does look like a comforting meal especially on a rainy day
Hope you do not get any of the flooding
November 19, 2011 at 6:08 PM
luckily raining is on and off now, not as heavy as 2 weeks ago
November 16, 2011 at 9:20 AM
This does look like serious comfort food. It appears so simple to make, but I’m not familiar with salted egg or where to find them. Is it something one can make at home? I do love the warmth and the lightness of this porridge. Thanks for sharing this!
November 16, 2011 at 11:54 AM
MJ, you should be able to find Salted Egg in Asian Groceries shop, or it’s quite easy to make your own. check out this recipe http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2010/09/homemade-salted-eggs.html. But brining takes 30-40 days.. if you can wait that long..
November 16, 2011 at 1:50 AM
This looks great! Perfect for a rainy day indeed.
November 16, 2011 at 11:49 AM
thanks Katherine
November 15, 2011 at 12:08 AM
wow this is awesome. a porridge can be so fragrant after adding the roasted pork!
November 16, 2011 at 11:41 AM
thank you Fish! yes love the roast fragrant
November 12, 2011 at 8:48 AM
Yum! I love porridge and this version sounds absolutely yummy with the roasted pork and salted eggs.
November 12, 2011 at 11:00 PM
thank you sharon!
November 11, 2011 at 12:12 PM
Thank God , it stopped raining. I can understand how bad the situation go when it does not stop rain for days. I have not experienced flooding but I am scared when I see it on TV.
Your dish somewhat look like congee, I have tried once. It was good. Your recipe also seem simple to cook. So it is just pork bones?
November 11, 2011 at 6:59 PM
To me the name congee and porridge is the same, but the style of cooking from chinese of different province in China is slightly different. Cantonese or Hong Kong style congee is very thick and smooth. like my friend missyblurkit describe by pressing the cooked porridge through a sieve. Teow Chew style porridge is more watery, and you can still taste the rice texture. Depends on your preference.
You can also use roast pork belly, pork ribs or pork bones.
November 10, 2011 at 5:02 AM
I sincerely hope the floods will spare your region. I have never lived in a similar climate, so I cannot even imagine how two weeks’ raining feels like. Not to mention a flood danger. I know however that rainy weather is perfect for comfort food.
Your porridge looks delicous and comforting indeed. The roast pork bone reminds me how good soups or sauces are when made with smoked pork bones… Sadly I cannot fine them anywhere here. I cross my fingers for your weather’s improvement.
November 10, 2011 at 11:28 AM
KL-the city I’m staying, has stopped raining, but other parts of Malaysia is still raining on and off. thank you for your concern and let’s hope the weather will improve soon. My parents’ house was flooded once long ago, luckily the water just came into the house a few inches, but it was still a hassle to clean up.
I think chinese style roast pork should be available in chinatown, i think it would be cheaper to make your own if you can find the bones.
November 9, 2011 at 9:46 PM
comfort food indeed! i normally smash the salted egg with the rice so that i can taste it and not see it. simple method of pressing it again a sieve to get the smooth hongkee porridge.
November 9, 2011 at 10:07 PM
i like to taste the salted egg and grainy rice texture.. i’m true and true half teow chew