This steam minced pork with salted egg recipe is a lifesaver when you do not feel like spending too much time cooking, order take-out nor dine in the restaurant. You can get it ready on the dining table within half an hour.

As easy as the name implies, you need only two ingredients, excluding the seasonings. As long as you have salted eggs and some pork (or chicken), you can get it ready on the dining table within half an hour.

You can even speed up by steaming the pork with the rice cooker to cook the rice at the same time.

The taste? Fabulous. You can confirm with any Cantonese or Hakka people as this is the most common everyday food in their families.

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Steam minced pork with salted egg – a step-by-step guide

I grew up eating steam ground pork with salted eggs as my mum prepared this regularly. Her version is slightly different from mine, as I add some Chinese wine and water chestnuts to make the patty.

1. Minced the pork

a. Choose pork with some fat

Choose the cut of pork with some fats, preferably with a quarter to one-third of fat. Lean meat is not the best choice unless you are on a healthy diet because it will turn out tough and dry after steaming. The preferred cut of pork is either shoulder loin with some fat or pork belly.

You can also use store-bought ground pork to save time. Look for those ground pork with a fair share of fat.  The butcher that I know in the market is willing to ground the pork of my choice for me on the spot.  The ideal minced pork should have about 30% of fat.

b. Ground pork versus manually minced pork

Ground pork is convenient, but manually minced pork always tastes better. If you want to get the best result, take some time to cut the semi-frozen pork into slices, then into strips, and finally into tiny cubes.  This step will break the connective tissue that links the meat together, resulting in a different mouthfeel than the machine-ground meat.

Follow the steps below if you want to mince the pork manually:

• Keep the pork in the freezer until half frozen. The meat in a half-frozen state is firmer and easier to cut into thin slices.
• Cut the thin slices of meat into narrow strips (as narrow as possible), then into tiny cubes.
• Use the cleaver to mince the pork until the meat starts to stick together.

I do not mince the meat too fine as the pork should have some texture.

Note: 

You can use chicken breast meat as the alternative if you do not eat pork. Since chicken breast contains less fat, it will be drier and tougher.  One way to soften it is to add some finely chopped chicken skin, some water chestnuts, and add oil into the minced meat.  

Although onion is suitable for the burger patty to make it softer, it is not for the steam Chinese minced pork with salted egg recipe. Water chestnut is the choice to make the pork patty becomes less dense, as it also has a welcoming crunchy texture.

2. Prepare the patty

a. Make the patty

This Chinese steamed pork patty recipe does not need salt. The saltiness is entirely coming from the salted duck eggs.

• Crack two salted eggs and separate the yolk from the egg white.
• Add the egg white to the pork, and keep the yolk as the topping for the patty.
• Combine the minced pork and the raw salted egg white until it is fully absorbed.
• Prepare some thinly sliced scallion and grated ginger, then add to the minced meat.
• Chop some water chestnuts into small cubes and add to the meat.
• Season the meat with light soy sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, and ground white pepper. 

The saltiness of salted eggs may differ. You do not need salt since the eggs are pretty salty. I use two eggs in this recipe (350g / 0.7pound of meat) which is just right. Some salted eggs are pretty salty, which you may only need one egg.

b. Smashed the meat paste

Now you need a unique technique to make the meat texture springy and more sticky- by lifting the meat from the bowl and throwing it back repeatedly. This smashing method is also used in making dumplings filling, shumai, and the giant meatball called lion head. The same approach is also applied to making fish balls to create a springy texture. 

While you are repeatedly smashing the meat paste, add some water gradually. Add one tablespoon of water at a time to the meat paste. You will be surprised the meat paste can take up quite a lot of water. It will eventually become jiggly when you shake, which is when you stop adding more water.

3. Break up the salted duck egg yolks

Break up the salted egg yolks into smaller pieces. You can do it this way as the cured yolks are quite firm and sticky. 

Some cooks prefer to place the entire yolk at the center of the meat patty while steaming, but my mum breaks them up and distributes equality on the patty’s surface so that we can taste the yolk in every bite.

4. Steam and enjoy

• Transfer the meat paste to a plate. Shape it to form a flat disc filling up the whole plate.
• Spread the salted egg yolk pieces on the surface.
• Set up the steamer, and steam for about twenty minutes.
• Remove the steam pork with salted eggs from the steamer with a plate clipper. Sprinkle with some chopped scallion as a garnish.

Note: You will expect plenty of gravy flowing out from the meat patty after steaming, so choose a plate with a slightly curved edge. Part of the gravy will be reabsorbed into the meat when it cools.

This steam ground pork with salted duck egg recipe is ideal for a quick meal.  The gravy is best to mix with steamed rice, which is exceptionally flavorful.  

Other recipes related to steam minced pork with salted egg

Here are my suggestions if you like easy Chinese home-cooked food similar to this salted egg recipe with ground pork.

Stir fry tomato with egg is home-cooked comfort food. It is a quick and easy dish that you can get onto the dining table in 15 minutes. It is also high in nutrition.

Hong Kong style macaroni soup with ham (火腿通粉) is the quintessential breakfast served in almost all the Hong Kong style cafés. It is not only quick to prepare but is also a delicious light meal ideal for breakfast.

The cabbage stir-fry recipe involves only a few ingredients, ideal for a quick and easy home-cooked meal. Dried shrimps are used to flavor the cabbage. Give it a try. 

What is the salted egg?

Salted egg is a Chinese Specialty. It is made by soaking eggs in brine or pack them in damp, salted charcoal. It is made with duck eggs which are richer and creamier than chicken eggs.

A briny aroma is developed in the process. The texture of the egg white turns to gelatin-like, with a sharp, salty taste. The yolk turns to bright orange-red, slightly fatty, and in a semi-solid state.

It is usually covered by salted charcoal, but some are sold with the salted paste removed.