Shuidong Town's legendary congee: a whole seaside-raised cormorant duck gently poached with astragalus and codonopsis, then the collagen-rich broth absorbs pearl rice into a silky, deeply savoury porridge. The sliced duck is served alongside with a ginger-vinegar dip. Listed as Maoming municipal intangible cultural heritage in 2023.
Shuidong duck congee is associated with a Qing dynasty origin legend: a man named Tang Jianhan, whose father fell gravely ill while they operated a roast-duck business in Dianbai, improvised a restorative duck-and-herb broth congee that restored his father to health. The family thereafter sold the congee commercially, and the dish became Shuidong Town's signature food. After China's reform and opening period, Dianbai entrepreneurs spread the recipe across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau region. In 2023 the "Shuidong duck congee culinary technique" was listed as a Maoming municipal seventh-batch intangible cultural heritage.
The congee arrives with barely a whisper of individual rice grains — just a seamless silk of duck broth tightened by starch. A spoonful carries warmth deep into the chest. The sliced duck alongside is lean, clean, and perfect with ginger vinegar: two halves of the same very good idea.
Seaside-raised cormorant ducks exercise heavily, developing higher myoglobin content and evenly distributed intramuscular fat, which gives the broth its deep savoury base. Poaching at around 80°C hydrolyses duck collagen into gelatin, making the broth silky without any added starch. Pearl rice added to this broth absorbs the gelatin-rich liquid; its amylopectin continues to gelatinize in the residual heat, producing the characteristic smooth, grain-invisible porridge texture.
Variations
The canonical Shuidong version uses only cormorant duck, astragalus, and codonopsis. City branches sometimes add coix seeds for extra dampness-clearing effect, or lotus seeds for a calming finish. Coastal Dianbai variations blend duck bones with pork bones for a whiter, richer broth.
On the Palate
Where Shuidong Duck Congee sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
7 steps · 15 min
- 15 min
Clean the whole duck thoroughly; remove excess fat around the cavity; slice ginger
- 28 min
Place duck in a large pot with cold water; add astragalus root, codonopsis root, and ginger; bring to a boil; skim all foam
Watch outSkim every last bit of grey foam as it first boils — miss it and the whole congee turns muddy instead of clear-golden.
- 348 min
Reduce heat to maintain around 80°C; poach duck gently 40–50 min until a skewer inserted in the thigh runs clear
Watch outHold it at a lazy quiver around eighty degrees, never a boil — a hard boil toughens the duck and greases up the broth.
- 45 min
Remove duck; strain the broth through a fine sieve; skim the floating fat from the surface
- 530 min
Add washed pearl rice to the strained broth; bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer; stir occasionally and cook 30 min until congee is smooth and silky
Watch outStir it now and then and cook until the grains melt invisible and the surface turns silky — that gloss means the gelatin has thickened it.
- 63 min
Season with salt; ladle into bowls; garnish with sliced scallion
- 75 min
Slice duck meat thinly and arrange on a separate plate; serve alongside with a ginger-vinegar dipping sauce
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