Pork Congee with Assorted Innards - Valedictorian’s Congee
A Recipe for Success – Pork Congee with Assorted Innards
Pork Congee with Assorted Innards, also known as Valedictorian's Congee, is a traditional Cantonese congee. Its origins are connected to the Ming dynasty scholar Lun Wenxu. When Lun Wenxu was young, his family were very poor. He would walk the streets and alleyways selling vegetables to fund his education. He was aided by a congee-seller in the Xiguan area of Guangzhou, who would not only buy his vegetables, but would also give him a hot bowl of congee each day. Sometimes it would be a tasty meatball congee, or a fragrant pork intestine congee, or an evocative pork liver congee. Sometimes it might be all three. Later, Lun Wenxu achieved the highest grade in the class at his imperial exams and came back to the congee seller to buy another bowl. Not only did he dub it "Valedictorian's Congee", he told the crowd: "The reason that I was able to pass at the top of the class was because I ate so much of this 'Valedictorian's Congee' all those years ago.” From then on, the congee shop's reputation grew, and "Valedictorian's Congee" became famed far and wide.
Even now, students taking exams in the Pearl River Delta Reason will eat pork congee with assorted innards for breakfast, hoping that it will serve as a good omen.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ ounces (75 grams) lean pork
- 2 ½ ounces (75 grams) pork kidney
- 2 ½ ounces (75 grams) pork liver
- 2 ½ ounces (75 grams) pork intestine
- 2 ½ ounces (75 grams) hog maw
- 2 ounces (60 grams) pig heart
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) Japonica rice
Seasonings
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) fresh ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons (7 grams) salt
- 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) chicken bouillon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) ground black pepper
- corn starch as needed
Cooking Directions
- Wash the rice and soak in water for half an hour.
- Add 6 ½ cups (1500 milliliters) of water to the pot, and after bringing to the boil, add the rice and bring to the boil once more, then turn down the heat and leave to simmer for 45 minutes. Stir frequently during this time, until the rice is well-cooked and thick, forming a plain rice congee base.
- Wash the fresh ginger and shred into thin strips. Separate and wash the lean pork, pork liver, and pork heart, cut into slices, add 1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) salt and 1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) chicken bouillon powder, and mix together with a small amount of corn starch.
- Trim away the muscles, membranes, and white fat from the pork kidney and cut into slices. Rinse with water, then place in boiling water and blanch until it changes color. Remove from the water and allow it to drip dry.
- Straighten out the intestines and turn the inside wall out. Sprinkle with corn starch and rub it into the intestines, then wash them clean gently with running water.
- Sprinkle the pork liver with corn starch and rub it in, then rinse clean with a large amount of running water.
- Fill a pot with water and bring to the boil, then add the pork intestines and pork liver and boil for 40 minutes. Cut the intestines into small pieces and cut the liver into thin strips.
- After bringing the congee base to the boil on a high heat, add the lean pork meat, liver, heart, maw, and ginger, and boil for two minutes. Add the leftover salt, 1 teaspoon (3 grams) of chicken bouillon powder, and ground pepper, then pour in the sesame oil.
- Tip: Ensure that the congee base is boiling before adding ingredients. This makes for a fresher-tasting congee which is not cloudy. Every ingredient will impart its own flavor without overpowering the others.