Daojiao Meatball Congee

Daojiao meatball congee is a speciality of Daojiao town, in which hand-pounded fresh pork meatballs are simmered in a smooth white congee so the balls stay bouncy and the porridge turns fresh and sweet — a homely taste of Dongguan's water towns.

Daojiao lies on the southern branch of the Dongjiang river in a dense network of waterways, long a land of fish and rice; locals pound fresh local pork by hand into meatballs and simmer them with rice into congee, a craft passed down through generations that makes the dish a hallmark of water-town cooking.

Freshly pounded meatballs are dropped into the ready congee and cooked until they float, then scattered with scallion and white pepper; eaten hot so the rice fragrance and meat freshness mingle, it is taken most often as breakfast or a late-night snack.

The bouncy bite of the hand-pounded pork meatball, the smooth fresh-sweet congee base, and the unpretentious homeliness of the water town are the marks of Daojiao meatball congee.