Porridge Vs Congee — What’s The Difference?
You may be familiar with the various types of traditional sweet and delicious porridges, but did you know there is a savory and mealy version of this delicious breakfast item too?
Porridge vs congee, what is the difference? Porridge is typically any soft food made by boiling oatmeal or other grains in water or milk. Congee is a type of Chinese rice porridge that is usually paired with savory ingredients like spices, meat, and veggies.
Read below to learn more about how both these breakfast porridges are different, how to make them, and some of their popular variants!
What Is Porridge?
Many people erroneously believe that porridge is usually only made by boiling oats — this can’t be further from the truth.
Porridge is referred to as any soft food that can be made from grains, legumes, or other types of ground meals.
It is enjoyed in different ways across the globe and you can find many subvarieties of this simple breakfast item in every region.
In North America, porridge is usually referred to as oatmeal and it is indeed made from a variety of oats. It is also usually paired with delicious and sweet toppings like jams, fruit, honey, nuts, and other condiments.
Porridge has been consumed in one way or the other for millennia. It is perhaps one of the oldest recipes in human history and a great way to start the day!
Most porridges are made by mixing either milk or water. The idea is to render the oats via heat and to create an emulsified mixture using a combination of starch and milk/water.
But in other countries, particularly in Asia, porridge can take on a slightly broader meaning.
What Is Congee?
Congee is a type of porridge that is made with rice and other savory ingredients.
Popular in China as both a breakfast and general comfort food, congee can be prepared in many different ways but it is almost always paired with a variety of vegetables, meat, and even spices.
This dish is thought to have been created by the lower class centuries ago. The concept behind congee was to create a dish that could use every ingredient to its fullest.
Grain was in abundance and reusing leftover food was a common practice. The idea was to use whatever was at hand to create a nutritious and power-packed breakfast recipe that could keep people going for hours.
Congee was also popularly used as a medicinal food that could boost health and provide you with everything that you needed to fight common illnesses.
The reason why this dish is called a porridge, despite its preparation method and choice of ingredients, is that it is cooked in a suspension of rendered rice.
The rice is cooked until it turns mushy and the rest of the ingredients are added later to create an emulsified and delicious mixture.
Characteristics Of Congee
Here are some of its characteristics.
Flavor
On its own, congee tastes bland, since it is just a mixture of soaked and cooked rice with water. The real magic starts when you introduce savory ingredients!
Congee is prepared in two subvarieties: sweet and savory.
Savory congee is very common and can be paired with a variety of savory ingredients.
For example, congee can be made with something as simple as a combination of just marinated chicken, veggies, and overcooked rice.
Or you can also introduce complex flavors by using a combination of exotic and uncommon ingredients like marinated and poached pork, dried scallops, century eggs, salted duck eggs, and two different types of rice.
Congee can also be made by adding sweet ingredients like fruits, nuts, honey, and virtually any type of gooey, sticky, sweet-laden ingredient.
Think of congee as a blank canvas that you can paint by using different flavors. Just balance the savory ingredients and starchy texture to create a delicious bowl of congee every time!
Texture
Congee has a texture similar to a typical porridge. Its consistency is usually between runny and thick.
Most people describe it as having a silky-smooth consistency that is made smooth with the help of emulsifying ingredients such as bean curd, a.k.a tofu.
While the consistency of this porridge may vary, it will always have that distinct shiny, and buttery texture that it is beloved for!
Porridge Vs Congee —Comparison Chart
Here is a side-by-side comparison of both recipes:
| Porridge | Congee | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Grain/rice porridge | Grain/rice porridge |
| Made Using | Oats and milk, sweet or nutty garnishes | Rice, savory or sweet ingredients |
| Texture | Smooth, slightly thick, customizable | Silky smooth |
| Flavor | Usually sweet or mild | Savory or sweet flavor |
| Cooking Time | 3-5 minutes | 15-20 minutes |
| Nutrition | Balanced nutrition | Highly nutritious |
To further illustrate the differences between the two, let’s quickly go over how each recipe is made!
How To Make Porridge
Porridge is a super easy, nutritious, and customizable breakfast for those on the go!
Ingredients
- 1 cup oatmeal (steel cut, rolled, or any other variety of your liking)
- 2 cups water or milk (or an equal combination of water and milk)
- Topping(s) of choice (syrup, jam, butter, blueberries, brown sugar, cream, almonds, etc.)
Instructions
1. Heat a small pot and add oats to it. Then immediately add water, milk, or a combination of both. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
2. Cook on medium for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the oats from burning and lumping. Make sure that you keep an eye on the heat!
3. When the oats have the right consistency, turn off the flame and dish out the prepared porridge.
4. Let the porridge sit for about 2-3 minutes to cool, then enjoy! You can also top it off with syrup, jam, butter, fruit, or any other sweet ingredient.
Notes
Remember: Porridge should have a smooth and slightly thick consistency. Everyone has a preference when it comes to porridge, so you can experiment with the cooking time to change the thickness of the oats.
Porridge Recipe
Porridge is a super easy, nutritious, and customizable
breakfast for those on the go!
Ingredients
- • 1 cup oatmeal (steel cut, rolled, or any other variety of your liking)
- • 2 cups water or milk (or an equal combination of water and milk)
- • Topping(s) of choice (syrup, jam, butter, blueberries, brown sugar, cream, almonds, etc.)
Instructions
1. Heat a small pot and add oats to it. Then immediately add water, milk, or a combination of both. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
2. Cook on medium for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the oats from burning and lumping. Make sure that you keep an eye on the heat!
3. When the oats have the right consistency, turn off the flame and dish out the prepared porridge.
4. Let the porridge sit for about 2-3 minutes to cool, then enjoy! You can also top it off with syrup, jam, butter, fruit, or any other sweet ingredient.
Notes
Remember: Porridge should have a smooth and slightly thick consistency. Everyone has a preference when it comes to porridge, so you can experiment with the cooking time to change the thickness of the oats.
How To Make Congee
Congee requires a bit more preparation time — but it is worth the wait and effort!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup white rice, soaked (preferably small grain or jasmine rice)
- ¼ pound pork shoulder, julienned
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 7 cups water (or chicken broth)
- 2 century eggs (or salted duck eggs, or poached chicken eggs)
- 3 slices ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- Salt to taste
- Chopped scallion and cilantro (to garnish)
Instructions
1. Begin by washing and draining the rice. Once washed, transfer the rice into a zip-lock bag and store it in the fridge or freezer overnight.
2. Marinate the meat using cornstarch, vegetable oil, and oyster sauce. Store the pork in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. You can also optionally marinate it overnight.
3. In a medium-sized pot, add water and bring it to a boil. You can also use chicken stock if you want a more intense flavor from the congee.
4. Add the refrigerated or frozen rice straight into the pot (without defrosting) and wait until the mixture comes to a simmer again.
5. As soon as the pot simmers, begin mixing the rice mixture. Please keep in mind that the rice will stick to the bottom of the pan during this stage if left alone, so you must keep stirring the mixture.
6. Reduce the heat to low and then continue to cook the congee for at least 15-20 minutes. During this stage, you can just periodically stir the congee — if it gets too thick, just add a splash of water and then continue to mix it.
7. Separately, dice or cut the century eggs into small pieces and julienne the ginger.
8. After cooking the congee for 15-20 minutes, add the century eggs, marinated pork, and cut ginger.
9. Slowly fold and mix all the ingredients. Let the mixture cook for about 4-5 minutes.
10. Garnish the congee with freshly ground white pepper and a bit of salt to taste. Dish it out with chopped scallion, cilantro, or any other fresh herb of your choice — then enjoy!
Notes
Remember: Congee is more than porridge and a mere breakfast dish — it’s a nutritious and delicious meal that, despite its humble origins, is fit for kings!
You might think that this is way too much work for making a simple bowl of porridge, but trust us, if you are looking for a break from your usual breakfast routine, then we highly recommend that you try out congee.
The recipe above takes into account most people’s morning routine, which is why it calls for day-before preparations — these significantly bring down the cooking time of this amazing dish.
Congee Recipe
Congee requires a bit more preparation time — but it is worth the wait and effort!
Ingredients
- • ¾ cup white rice, soaked (preferably small grain or jasmine rice)
- • ¼ pound pork shoulder, julienned
- • ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- • 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- • 7 cups water (or chicken broth)
- • 2 century eggs (or salted duck eggs, or poached chicken eggs)
- • 3 slices ginger
- • ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- • Salt to taste
- • Chopped scallion and cilantro (to garnish)
Instructions
1. Begin by washing and draining the rice. Once washed, transfer the rice into a zip-lock bag and store it in the fridge or freezer overnight.
2. Marinate the meat using cornstarch, vegetable oil, and oyster sauce. Store the pork in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. You can also optionally marinate it overnight.
3. In a medium-sized pot, add water and bring it to a boil. You can also use chicken stock if you want a more intense flavor from the congee.
4. Add the refrigerated or frozen rice straight into the pot (without defrosting) and wait until the mixture comes to a simmer again.
5. As soon as the pot simmers, begin mixing the rice mixture. Please keep in mind that the rice will stick to the bottom of the pan during this stage if left alone, so you must keep stirring the mixture.
6. Reduce the heat to low and then continue to cook the congee for at least 15-20 minutes. During this stage, you can just periodically stir the congee — if it gets too thick, just add a splash of water and then continue to mix it.
7. Separately, dice or cut the century eggs into small pieces and julienne the ginger.
8. After cooking the congee for 15-20 minutes, add the century eggs, marinated pork, and cut ginger.
9. Slowly fold and mix all the ingredients. Let the mixture cook for about 4-5 minutes.
10. Garnish the congee with freshly ground white pepper and a bit of salt to taste. Dish it out with chopped scallion, cilantro, or any other fresh herb of your choice — then enjoy!
Notes
Remember: Congee is more than porridge and a mere breakfast dish — it’s a nutritious and delicious meal that, despite its humble origins, is fit for kings!
You might think that this is way too much work for making a simple bowl of porridge, but trust us, if you are looking for a break from your usual breakfast routine, then we highly recommend that you try out congee.
The recipe above takes into account most people’s morning routine, which is why it calls for day-before preparations — these significantly bring down the cooking time of this amazing dish.
Related Questions
Porridge is a lovely breakfast meal that many of us know as oatmeal. Congee is a delicious and complex Chinese porridge that can be paired with sweet and savory ingredients.
Now that you know the difference between regular porridge and congee, here are some related questions.
How do you eat congee?
Congee is a buttery smooth Chinese porridge that typically requires Chinese spoons!
Traditionally, this porridge is eaten with ornate porcelain or ceramic soup spoons — but you can also enjoy it with any spoon at home. For the best experience, we recommend getting a spoon with a deeper ladle to scoop all of the ingredients!
How to store leftover congee?
Congee can be a hearty dish and you might have to sometimes deal with leftovers.
We recommend storing leftover congee in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the fridge at 40°F.
Add a splash of water or broth before heating the stored congee to fix its lumpy texture (if necessary).
