Thai Rice Porridge With Pork Meatballs And Coddled Egg
This is a classic Thai breakfast dish—a warm, savory bowl of jasmine rice porridge, pork meatballs and a cracked egg stirred in. It is the way many Thais start their day. Plus, it’s a great recipe for using up any leftover jasmine rice.
To make the pork meatballs, mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl for about 2 minutes, until the meat feels sticky.
To make the rice porridge, bring the chicken stock to a boil and stir in the Chinese chicken powder until dissolved.
Scoop the pork mixture into 1-ounce (30-g) balls and drop right into the boiling broth.
Cook for a few minutes, until they are firm to the touch, float and are cooked through.
Remove the pork meatballs and reserve until ready to serve.
Now, reduce the broth to a medium simmer.
Add the cooked rice, bring it back to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until it becomes a porridge but the grains are still separate and identifiable.
It should look like light oatmeal.
Season with the fish sauce, Thai soybean sauce, salt and white pepper.
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
To serve, ladle a piping hot portion (about 1¼ cups [300 ml]) into each of the four bowls.
Crack a raw egg into each bowl, top with the meatballs and then garnish with scallions, cilantro leaves, fried garlic and ginger threads.
The egg will start to coddle and cook as you stir it into the porridge.