From above, four shallow bowls of pale, silky congee are topped with halved marbled soy tea eggs, deeply browned oyster mushrooms, a small tuft of bright tangerine-herb salad, scattered black sesame seeds, emerald scallions, and golden garlic chips glistening in chili oil.

Garlic Congee Bowls with Soy Tea Eggs, Oyster Mushrooms & Tangerine Salad

Category Brunch
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 60 minutes
Style Chinese
Technique Simmering
Diet Friendly Vegetarian

Daily Recipe: March 07, 2026

This cozy brunch leans Chinese in spirit without falling into the usual takeout tropes: savory scallion-garlic rice congee is topped with jammy soy tea eggs, blistered oyster mushrooms, and a bright tangerine-sesame herb salad for contrast. Garlic shows up in two layers—gently simmered into the rice for sweetness, then crisped in oil for a fragrant finishing crunch. It’s warming, seasonal, and dramatic on the plate, with soft neutrals, glossy eggs, and vivid citrus making it especially photogenic.

Ingredients (for 4)

Preparation

  1. Step 1 - 🥚💧⏲️
    Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Gently add the 6 eggs and simmer for 7 minutes for jammy centers. Transfer to ice water and let cool slightly.
  2. Step 2 - 🍵🥚🌟
    Lightly crack the eggshells all over without peeling. Return eggs to the pot with 2 cups water, black tea bags, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, star anise, cinnamon stick, 2 smashed garlic cloves, half of the sliced ginger, and sugar. Simmer very gently for 20 minutes, then turn off the heat and let steep.
  3. Step 3 - 🍚🥣🔥
    In a medium pot, combine rinsed jasmine rice, vegetable stock or water, the remaining sliced ginger, 4 smashed garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon salt, and white pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer.
  4. Step 4 - 🥄🍚⌛
    Cook uncovered for 45 to 55 minutes, stirring every 8 to 10 minutes, until the rice breaks down into a silky porridge. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick. Remove the ginger if you like, and either remove or mash in the garlic.
  5. Step 5 - 🧄✨🍳
    Heat the neutral oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves and cook slowly, stirring often, until pale golden and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Strain and keep the garlic chips and garlic oil separate. Lightly salt the chips.
  6. Step 6 - 🍄🔥🥘
    Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved garlic oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oyster mushrooms in a single layer and leave them for 2 minutes to brown. Toss and cook 3 to 4 minutes more until blistered and deeply golden. Season with a pinch of salt.
  7. Step 7 - 🍊🌿🥗
    Toss the tangerine or mandarin pieces with cilantro leaves, half of the scallions, toasted sesame oil, and a tiny pinch of salt.
  8. Step 8 - 🔪🥚👌
    Peel the tea eggs and cut 4 of them in half. Save the remaining 2 eggs for extra topping or another meal.
  9. Step 9 - 🥣🧂👅
    Taste the congee and add the remaining salt as needed. Divide the congee among 4 shallow bowls.
  10. Step 10 - ✨🍜🌶️
    Top each bowl with blistered mushrooms, 2 egg halves, a little tangerine salad, the remaining scallions, black sesame seeds, crisp garlic chips, and a spoonful of reserved garlic oil or 2 to 4 tablespoons chili crisp or chili oil for serving. Serve right away.

Additional

For an even more dramatic brunch presentation, serve the eggs with their marbled exterior facing up and finish with a few drops of chili oil around the rim of each bowl. If you want more spring produce, quick-wilt baby spinach or add shaved radish on top. To make it heartier, spoon on a little crumbled baked tofu or leftover roasted sweet potato.