Chinese · breakfast
100m
Total time
4
Servings
340
kcal
easy
Difficulty
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FAQ · Things people ask
Century eggs (pidan) are duck eggs preserved in an alkaline mixture for weeks. They turn the white jet black and the yolk a grey-green. Find them at any Asian supermarket; they are shelf-stable and unodorous until cut.
Use a pressure cooker — 25 minutes at high pressure gives you porridge that would otherwise take 90 minutes. Alternatively, use day-old cooked rice, which breaks down in around 30 minutes.
Completely. The name is an exaggeration — they are preserved for a few weeks to months. The alkaline preservation is a centuries-old Chinese food technique with no safety concerns.
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