Why every ingredient earns its place
Porridge when you are sick hits differently because it is easy on the stomach, keeps you hydrated, and takes almost no energy to digest. This version builds a naturally sweet prawn broth from the heads and shells first, melts a salted egg yolk through for richness, and keeps the salt deliberately light so it is comforting rather than heavy.
Minimal effort, minimal clean-up, and genuinely restorative. The kind of meal that takes care of you.
This recipe is for you if
- You are sick and need something warm and easy
- You want comfort food that is lighter on the salt
- You have a rice cooker and fresh prawns
Less relevant if
- You do not have a rice cooker with porridge mode
- You are avoiding seafood or eggs
- You want something ready in under 30 minutes
The recipe
Salted Egg Prawn Porridge
Less salty. All the comfort. One pot.
Ingredients
- The porridge
- 1 rice cooker cup white rice (about 180g)
- 250g fresh prawns
- 1 salted egg
- 6 cups water
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp oil
- 6 slices ginger
- 3 stalks spring onion
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- White pepper to taste
- Optional toppings
- Fried shallots
- Extra spring onions
- Chilli oil
Method
- Peel and devein the prawns. Separate the heads and shells from the meat. Keep the prawn meat chilled.
- Turn the rice cooker to Cook mode. Add oil, ginger, spring onion whites, prawn heads, and shells. Fry for 5 to 7 minutes until fragrant and the oil turns orange.
- Pour in 6 cups water and 1 cup chicken stock. Let it boil for 15 minutes to draw all the flavour from the prawn heads.
- Remove and discard the prawn heads, shells, ginger, and spring onion pieces. You now have a naturally sweet prawn broth.
- Wash the rice and add it into the broth. Switch to Porridge mode and cook for 45 to 60 minutes until creamy.
- About 10 minutes before the porridge is done, separate the salted egg yolk and white. Mash the yolk lightly and stir it directly into the porridge. Let it melt through.
- Add the prawn meat and salted egg white. Close the lid and cook for a further 5 to 8 minutes until the prawns are just cooked through.
- Finish with white pepper and sesame oil. Top with fried shallots, spring onions, and chilli oil if you like. Serve immediately. 🦐
Tips
"Fry the prawn heads first. That is where all the flavour lives."
Tip 01
Do not add the prawns too early. Prawn meat only needs 5 to 8 minutes. Adding it with the rice means it will overcook and turn rubbery by the time the porridge is done. Add it right at the end, close the lid, and let the residual heat do the work.
Tip 02
Mash the yolk, not the white. The yolk mashes smoothly and melts into the porridge, seasoning it evenly throughout. The white stays in larger pieces and gives you little pockets of salted egg in every spoonful. Keep them separate and add them at different moments.
Tip 03
Stir the porridge before you add the yolk. Give the porridge a good stir first so the rice is evenly distributed. Then add the mashed yolk and stir again immediately so it spreads through the whole pot rather than sitting in one spot.
Tip 04
Taste test before adding the salted egg white. The white is the saltiest part of the salted egg. Before you add it all in, taste the porridge first. If it already feels well seasoned from the yolk and broth, add the white gradually rather than all at once. You are in control of how salty the final bowl is.
Something we have alongside this
When you are sick, tired, or just run down, what you put into your body matters even more. This porridge does a lot of the work on its own but pairing it with a shot of Ginseng Turmeric takes the immunity support even further.
Ginseng for energy and recovery. Turmeric for inflammation. Together they are one of the most studied natural immunity combinations out there, and they take about 10 seconds to mix while the porridge cooks. One scoop, warm water, done 🌿
What we pair with this for immunity
Ginseng Turmeric Blend
for immunity, recovery, and anti-inflammatory support
One of the most powerful natural immunity combinations. Pair it with this porridge when your body needs extra support.
- Turmeric Extract (250mg). Helps reduce inflammation and supports joint health
- American Ginseng (200mg). Naturally boosts energy and vitality when your body is running low
- Black Pepper Extract (5mg). Enhances absorption so the other ingredients actually work better
- Jujube Extract (300mg). Strengthens immunity and supports overall health and recovery
Quick summary
- Fry the prawn heads, shells, ginger, and spring onion in oil first. That is where all the flavour comes from.
- Add water and chicken stock, boil 15 minutes, then remove and discard all the solids.
- Add washed rice, switch to porridge mode, cook 45 to 60 minutes until creamy.
- 10 minutes before done, mash the salted egg yolk and stir it through. Then add prawn meat and egg white.
- Cook a final 5 to 8 minutes, finish with sesame oil and white pepper, top with fried shallots.
