How Many Calories in Pork Porridge?

Also known as Minced Pork Porridge, Pork Congee, 猪肉粥, Teochew Porridge.

Pork porridge is the Cantonese style hawker congee of rice cooked down until smooth, with minced pork, pork slices, sometimes liver or century egg, finished with sesame oil, spring onion and fried shallots.

293kcal / 1 bowl

A standard bowl of hawker pork porridge is about 293 calories for a 450g bowl, with around 16g of protein and 8g of fat. Chicken porridge is about 215 calories for a 500g bowl. The porridge base is roughly 170 of the calories, the pork 75, and the toppings and sesame oil about 50.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 bowl (450g)	Amount	Per 100g
Calories	293 kcal	65 kcal
Protein	16 g	4 g
Carbs	40 g	9 g
Fat	8 g	2 g

Where the calories come from

Rice porridge base350g

170 kcal

Minced pork and pork slices50g

75 kcal

Century egg, half25g

30 kcal

Fried shallots, sesame oil, soy8g

25 kcal

The real talk

Porridge is mostly water. A 450g bowl only has about 50g of dry rice in it, which is why the porridge base is around 170 calories. The minced pork and pork slices, about 50g, add 75. Half a century egg is 30, and the fried shallots, sesame oil and a drizzle of soy come to about 25. That is 293 for a bowl that takes fifteen minutes to eat. Chicken porridge with shredded breast is lighter at 215 because chicken breast is leaner than minced pork.

The you tiao is where it goes wrong. Half a pair, cut up and sprinkled on top, is about 96 calories. A whole pair on the side is 192. Porridge with a pair of you tiao is around 485, which is more than a bowl of soup bak chor mee. The porridge did nothing wrong. The fried dough did.

Century egg gets a bad reputation but it is just an egg. Half of one is about 30 calories. Pork liver is 40 calories for a few slices and high in iron. Both are better additions than fried shallots, which are cooked in oil, or an extra spoon of sesame oil at 45.

How the portions compare

245 kcal

Plain porridge with egg

293 kcal

Standard pork porridge

485 kcal

Pork porridge with a pair of you tiao

Pork Porridge variants, ranked by calories

Variant	Calories	Notes
Plain porridge	170 kcal	No toppings
Chicken porridge	215 kcal	HealthHub figure, 500g
Pork porridge	293 kcal	Hawker standard
Pork and century egg porridge with extra liver	350 kcal
Pork porridge with you tiao	485 kcal	One pair on the side

How to eat it lighter

Skip the you tiao or share one stick. A pair is 192 calories, the porridge itself is 293.
Ask for chicken porridge if the stall has both. It is about 80 calories lighter for a similar bowl.
Ask for less sesame oil. A teaspoon is 45 calories and the stall often adds two.
Add an egg. A raw egg stirred into hot porridge is 75 calories and 6g of protein.
Add pork liver or extra lean pork instead of extra shallots. Protein for the calories, and it fills you longer.

Common questions

Is pork porridge good for weight loss?

Yes, it is one of the lightest hawker meals at about 293 calories with 16g of protein. It is mostly water, so it fills the stomach for very few calories. Just do not add a pair of you tiao at 192.

How many calories in chicken porridge?

About 215 calories for a 500g bowl, according to HealthHub. Shredded chicken breast has less fat than minced pork, which is why it is around 80 calories lighter than pork porridge.

Is porridge healthier than rice?

For calories per bowl, yes. A 450g bowl of porridge has about 50g of dry rice, around 170 calories. A 250g scoop of cooked rice is about 325. Porridge is the same rice with a lot more water.

How many calories in century egg?

About 60 calories per whole egg, so around 30 for the half that usually goes in porridge. It is a preserved duck egg, with slightly more fat than a chicken egg but not by much.

Berapa kalori dalam Pork Porridge?

Pork Porridge ada kira-kira 293 kalori untuk 1 mangkuk (450g), dengan 16g protein, 40g karbohidrat dan 8g lemak. Angka ini anggaran untuk hidangan gerai biasa, jadi ia berbeza ikut kedai dan saiz hidangan.

Related foods

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330 kcal per 1 bowl

You Tiao

192 kcal per 1 pair (2 sticks joined)

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349 kcal per 1 bowl

Chicken Rice

607 kcal per 1 plate (steamed chicken)

Sup Kambing

520 kcal per 1 bowl with 2 slices French bread

Yong Tau Foo (Soup)

300 kcal per 1 bowl (8 pieces, clear soup, no noodles)

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical hawker centre or kopitiam serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

Calorie figure based on HPB iDAT via danielfooddiary.com 2015 (293), HealthHub.sg (chicken porridge 215). Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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