Savory steamed egg (水蒸蛋 shǔi zhēng dàn or雞蛋羹 jī dàn gēng) has been around for over 4,000 years since the Xia Dynasty. Since it's been around for so long, there are many varieties and methods to make it. Salted duck eggs, thousand year eggs, pork, ham, green onions, tofu, Chinese donut, scallops, dried scallops, prawns, dried shrimp, various mushrooms are just some of the ingredients you can use. Steamed Egg with Pork 滑蛋蒸豬肉 is a very common household dish that’s loved by young and old. It’s highly nutritious and very easy to make.
A good steamed egg dish must have a smooth and soft texture. Texture is where it gets a bit tricky. The egg should be soft and silky which seems to require a bit of technique; but it's easier than it seems. To achieve this silkiness, some recipes call for covering with plastic wrap or tin foil, straining the egg and water mixture and removing any bubbles that form on top of the mixture before steaming.
First of all, I don't recommend steaming anything with plastic wrap. I think the jury’s still out on the potential health risks. Covering it with tin foil makes it difficult to check for doneness. I haven’t found any significant improvements in the final product to justify covering with tin foil. And as for straining the egg, again, I haven't found any significant differences in texture. And the bubbles, it’s just aesthetics so I usually don’t bother with it. However, you can easily remove the bubbles with a spoon before steaming. The secret technique is just in the egg to water ratio, the steam temperature and the duration.
My family has always made Steamed Egg with Pork 滑蛋蒸豬肉 with minced pork. My mom used to add salted duck eggs, but my son doesn’t like them so I stopped adding it. In this recipe, I’ll show you how to use very minimal ingredients and minimal steps to make this soft, silky and delicious egg dish that will definitely be a family favorite!
This dish pairs nicely with my Prawns in Sweet Soy Sauce 豉油皇煎蝦 recipe.
Steamed Egg with Pork 滑蛋蒸豬肉
Ingredients
- 200 g Ground pork
- 4 Large eggs
- 1½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Corn starch
- 1 tsp Light soy sauce
- 1 c Water
Instructions
- Add 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar, 2 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp light soy sauce to the ground pork and mix well
- In a separate bowl, whisk 4 eggs, add ½ tsp salt, add 1 c water and whisk together until the water is completely mixed with egg
Using a whisk will help create a well-mixed mixture - Grease an 8” (20.3cm) pie plate using a little piece of oiled kitchen towel
Makes the plate easier to clean afterwards - Pour the egg mixture into the ground pork, mix well and pour into the pie plate. The mixture should not be more than 1” (2.5cm) high. If the mixture is over an inch high, you need to steam it for a longer duration
- Put your steamer on the stove and set the heat on high to get the water boiling. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat down to low (approx. 190˚F or 88˚C) and put the egg mixture into the steamer
- Steam for 35 minutes or until cooked.
You can check if it’s cooked by sticking a chopstick into the centre. If the egg is still runny, then it’s not fully cooked and check back in 5 minutes
Your instruction to steam the dish at low heat is brilliant! My egg custard turned out silky smooth every time. I also really appreciate you including the steam temperature for the steam oven. Thank you!
Thanks Kat! It took me a few tries to perfect the heat and temperature, I’m glad it paid off! Thanks for the feedback! Happy Cooking!
Love this dish very much, thank you for your recipe and tips 😘
Hi Connie, thanks for trying my recipe. I’m so glad you love this dish. We love it too! Happy cooking!