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.
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.
Rinse the charcoal layer off under cool water until it is completely washed off.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!):
- Chinese Rice Porridge (Jook)
- Rice Cooker Chinese Sticky Rice
- Chinese Poached Black Cod
- Chinese Rice Puddings (Boot Jai Goh)
And for dishes that are definitely made in a Chinese home, but that you could also find at a restaurant, check out these recipes
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 and Minced Pork Patty
Ingredients
- 125 grams ground pork
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 egg, separated
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon Chinese cooking wine
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt (only use if using two regular chicken eggs; omit if using salted duck egg)
Optional:
- ½ teaspoon sugar (mixed in with the egg and pork mixture before cooking)
Optional Garnishes:
- Chopped green onions
- Light soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Sesame seeds
- Julienned raw ginger
Equipment
Instructions
- Chop the ground pork until the texture is more fine. Transfer the pork to your steaming dish.
Using a salted egg (do not add salt):
- Wash the black charcoal coating off the egg until it is clean. Crack the egg into a bowl and separate the salted egg yolk.
- Flatten the salted egg yolk by pressing down on the flat side of a broad knife.
- Add a regular egg, Chinese cooking wine, and white pepper to the salted egg white and beat together.
- Add the egg mixture and water to the pork and mix using chopsticks or a fork until well-combined.
- Lay the flattened salted egg yolk on top of the egg-pork mixture.
Using two regular eggs (no salted egg):
- Separate the yolk from one of the eggs and set aside.
- In a bowl, beat together the egg white, whole egg, Chinese cooking wine, white pepper, and salt.
- Add the egg mixture and water to the pork and mix using chopsticks or a fork until well-combined.
- Gently pour the egg yolk onto the egg-pork mixture. Break the yolk gently with a knife or chopstick, if desired, for it to flatten out slightly.
Steaming the Pork Patty:
- Transfer the dish to your steamer and steam for 15 minutes.
- Top with chopped green onions, julienned ginger, light soy sauce, or sesame oil, if desired. Serve with hot rice.
Notes
- 125 grams of ground pork = ¼ lb.
- Only add salt to the meat mixture if using two regular eggs.
- Resist the temptation to add too much salt to the meat-egg mixture before cooking. If you don't find that the meat patty has enough flavor, season with a small amount of light soy sauce and/or sesame oil.
- If desired, mix in ½ teaspoon of sugar to the egg-pork mixture.
- Leftovers reheat well.
- Serve with hot white rice. Complete the meal with a hot bowl of soup!
- For a low-carb option, serve the meat patty over riced cauliflower or with leafy vegetables. Also great to eat on its own!
- It makes a great packed lunch in an insulated food container.
Shan says
It looks delicious.Thank you.
Thank you!