Name: Steamed Egg and Minced Pork Patty
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 125 grams ground pork; 1 egg, (beaten); 1 egg, separated; 1/4 cup water; 1 teaspoon Chinese cooking wine; 1/4 teaspoon white pepper; 1/2 teaspoon salt ((only use if using two regular chicken eggs; omit if using salted duck egg)); 1/2 teaspoon sugar ((mixed in with the egg and pork mixture before cooking)); Chopped green onions; Light soy sauce; Sesame oil; Sesame seeds; Julienned raw ginger

JUMP TO RECIPE

This humble steamed egg and minced pork patty is a staple dish in many Chinese households! With just a few ingredients, this dish can be whipped up in no time and when served with rice and soup, it makes the most comforting and satisfying meal!

I know this dish doesn't look like much, but this steamed egg and minced pork patty will strike a chord with almost anyone who was raised in a Chinese household like I was. It is quite traditional and you won't usually find these on menus in Chinese restaurants outside of China and Hong Kong.

We call steamed meat patties (or meat cake is another translation) ngook beng or yook beng in Cantonese, and it is most often made with ground pork. It's incredibly basic and simple, and when eaten with hot rice and soup, it made for a very comforting and satisfying meal.

There are different variations of steamed meat patties my mum used to make and I remember liking every one of them. This steamed egg and minced pork patty is one of my all-time favorites and I think I have figured out a close-enough version to how my mum made hers!

Ingredients

Ground pork
Salted duck egg
Regular egg
Chinese cooking wine
Sugar (optional)
White pepper
Water

As you can see from the list, it is incredibly simple. This meat patty can be made with one salted duck egg and one regular chicken egg, or two regular chicken eggs.

How To Make It

The Pork

Whether you are making your own ground pork or buying it, it won't be fine enough for this steamed egg and pork patty which is supposed to be quite airy and light.

Raw pink ground pork meat on a wooden cutting board.

A knife chopping through raw pink pork meat on a wooden cutting board.

To get the right texture for this dish, chop the ground pork until the texture is fine and not as chunky/lumpy.

Salted Duck Eggs

You should be able to find salted duck eggs at your local Chinese supermarket. When looking for them at the market, you will usually find them sold coated in a gritty layer of black "dirt". The black coating is actually a salted charcoal mix for storing and extra curing. The black coating is quite loose and will rub off on your hands when you handle the egg.

Close-up of a hand holding a black coated egg, wrapped in clear plastic.

An egg coated in black dirt, sitting on plastic on a wooden cutting board.

Rinse the charcoal layer off under cool water until it is completely washed off.

Black dirt being rinsed off an egg under running water.

Two halves of a white egg shell, next to a bowl containing an egg.

Crack the egg into a bowl and the yolk should be a very bright orange, the white should be mostly clear. The yolk with be very solid and dense.

Making the meat patty

Separate the salted egg yolk from the white. In a bowl, combine the salted egg white, a regular chicken egg, Chinese cooking wine, and white pepper and beat with a fork to combine. (Because the salted egg is already salted, you don't want to add any more salt at this stage.) If you want some sweetness to balance out the salt (a common addition in Chinese cooking), you can mix a bit into the eggs, but it is not necessary.

A round metal bowl containing raw pink ground meat, a white dish containing an orange egg yolk, a brown shell egg, and a white bowl containing egg white.

A white bowl containing a fork, egg, and white pepper, next to a white bowl containing an orange egg yolk, an a metal plate containing raw pink ground meat.

Add your chopped ground pork to your heat-safe steaming dish and add the egg mixture and water. Mix well with chopsticks or a fork.

Egg mixture being poured over raw pink ground pork in a metal dish.

Water being poured into a metal dish containing raw pink ground pork and an egg mixture.

For the salted egg yolk, flatten it by pressing down on the flat side of a knife with the heel of your hand. The yolk may not stay in one piece, but that is okay. Lay the flattened egg yolk on top of your pork-egg mixture.

A knife next to a flattened orange solid egg yolk on a wooden cutting board.

A flattened solid egg yolk on a metal knife over a dish containing raw pink meat mixture.

Can I use two regular chicken eggs?

Yes! Separate the yolk from the white of one of the eggs, and then mix the white with another full egg, along with the cooking wine and white pepper. In this case, because you are using regular eggs, you want to add a ½ teaspoon of salt to the mixture.

A white bowl containing raw pink ground pork, a white bowl containing an egg yolk, a white bowl containing an egg yolk and egg white.

A hand pouring an egg yolk from a white dish onto a raw pink ground mix mixture in a metal dish.

Follow the same procedure of mixing the pork with the egg mixture and water in a heat-safe dish. For the egg yolk, lay it on top of the pork-egg mixture and, if desired, gently pierce it with a fork or knife so that it flattens out a bit.

Cooking the meat patty

Place the dish in your prepared steamer and cook for approximately 15 minutes. The water in the steamer should not be at a rapid boil, but rather a gentle simmer.

Metal tongs setting a round metal dish containing raw pink ground meat and an egg yolk in a steamer.

If the egg puffs up a bit during steaming, you can reduce the heat slightly, but do not worry. Once removed from the heat, the meat patty will flatten out again.

Also don't worry if your egg yolk gets slightly covered by the steamed egg while it is cooking...it's still there!

Close-up of a spoonful of steamed egg and minced pork patty, topped with chopped green onions.

How to serve steamed egg and minced pork patty

The best way to enjoy this dish is to serve it over hot rice. If you happen to have a bowl of broth-based soup to go with it (like my mum always did), that makes for an even better meal, but it's not necessary.

A dark round bowl containing white rice topped with steamed egg and minced pork patty.

If you are on a low-carb diet, serve the meat patty over cauliflower rice, with steamed vegetables, or just enjoy it all by itself! The combination of eggs and pork make it a great breakfast option, too!

Other Chinese Dishes To Consider

If you're interested in more basic Chinese dishes that are often cooked at home, consider these options (also all inspired by my mum's cooking!):

And for dishes that are definitely made in a Chinese home, but that you could also find at a restaurant, check out these recipes

A metal spoon in a dark round bowl containing steamed egg and minced pork patty and white rice.

As I said before, my mum used to make steamed egg and minced pork patty all the time and it's easy to see why. With so few ingredients required, and using ingredients that she already had on hand, it was a fast and cheap dish to cook up. It wasn't anything fancy and but it's definitely a home meal that is delicious and satisfying and very nostalgic to someone like me. I hope you'll give it a try!

~ Lisa.

Steamed Egg & Minced Pork Patty

Ingredients