Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Vietnamese Steamed Egg Meatloaf
越式蒸蛋肉餅
Recipe overview
Chả trứng hấp is a Vietnamese steamed loaf of minced pork, egg, wood ear and mung-bean noodles, finished with a golden yolk glaze and verified safe at 75°C in the centre.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 400 g Minced pork
- 5 Eggs
- 30 g Mung-bean glass noodles
- 10 g Dried wood-ear mushrooms
- 50 g Shallot
- 60 g Carrot
- 2 Spring onions
Pork marinade
- 2 tbsp Fish sauce
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Ground black pepper
Egg mixture
- 1 tsp Cooking oil
- 1/4 tsp Ground turmeric
Cooking oil
- 1 tsp Oil for greasing dish
02
Tools
- Steamer with cloth-wrapped lid
- 22 cm heatproof steaming dish
- Two mixing bowls
- Kitchen scissors
- Knife and board
- Heatproof pastry brush
- Silicone spatula
- Probe thermometer
- Clean cooked-food knife
03
Steps
Step 1
Soften the glass noodles
Soak 30 g mung-bean glass noodles in room-temperature water for 10 minutes until flexible, drain and snip into 3 cm lengths so long strands do not pull from each slice.
Step 2
Rehydrate the wood ear
Soak 10 g dried wood-ear mushrooms for 15 minutes until fully expanded, remove every hard stem, rinse each piece, squeeze dry and finely shred.
Step 3
Prepare the aromatics
Finely dice the shallot and carrot and slice the spring onion; pat everything dry so excess water does not loosen the steamed meatloaf.
Step 4
Set up steamer and dish
Bring enough water to a boil in the steamer and grease a 22 cm heatproof dish with 1 tsp oil; reserve a separate clean utensil set for cooked food.
Step 5
Mix the yolk topping
Reserve one yolk from the five eggs and mix it with 1 tsp oil and 1/4 tsp turmeric for the top; place all remaining egg in a second bowl.
Step 6
Season the pork first
Add 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp black pepper to 400 g minced pork, then stir in one direction for about 1 minute until slightly tacky.
Step 7
Add egg and vegetables
Add the remaining egg, shallot, carrot and spring onion to the pork, folding only until evenly distributed so the mixture does not become dense.
Step 8
Fold in mushrooms and noodles
Add the squeezed-dry wood ear and short glass noodles, then fold until no bundles remain and every meatloaf portion will contain an even mixture.
Step 9
Level the meatloaf mixture
Transfer to the greased steaming dish and spread to an even 3 cm thickness, tap twice to release large air pockets and smooth the surface.
Step 10
Steam until mostly set
Place the dish in the steaming steamer, cover and cook over medium heat for 25 minutes; wrap the lid to catch condensation and keep the water boiling.
Step 11
Brush with yolk and finish steaming
When the surface is set, quickly brush on the yolk mixture, cover and steam for 5 to 7 minutes more until the top is dry and no pink juices emerge.
Step 12
Probe, rest and slice
Insert a clean probe into the thickest centre and require 75°C; steam in 3-minute increments if lower, then rest 5 minutes and slice with clean utensils.
Common mistakes
- Leaving hard wood-ear stems or long noodles creates tough pieces and strands that pull from each slice.
- Spreading the loaf unevenly or probing only the edge can falsely suggest the thick centre is cooked.
- Allowing lid condensation to drip onto the loaf makes the surface watery and dilutes the yolk glaze.
- Using a brush, knife or plate that touched raw pork on the cooked loaf causes cross-contamination.
Tips
Mix only until evenly combined and slightly tacky because vigorous beating makes the steamed loaf dense.
Tilt the lid away before every opening to prevent steam burns and condensation falling onto the loaf.
Insert the probe from the side toward the thickest centre to protect the golden top, then wash and sanitise it.
