steamed eggs with ground pork

it might be one of the most homely dish that every mom cooks in a chinese kitchen. it is simple to make, but difficult to master. plus, there are so many variations… some are meatless, some have vermicelli, and some are super dense and meaty.

the proportion of water to egg, heat, and time can affect the smoothness and softness of the egg. we like our steamed eggs to be silky and soft. to do that, we have to add a lot of water to the eggs. if not, the steamed eggs will be dense and heavy. we usually add 1.5 times the volume of water to eggs. the best way to measure this is to crack the eggs in a small bowl or cup. once you have the volume of eggs determined, then add 1.5 times the amount of water.

we recommend using a glassware that has a lid. if not, you can place a plate over it. the idea is to keep the moisture in the eggs while steaming in the wok. we will cook the pork first so to guarantee its doneness. the key to this dish is low heat, so be patient.

eggs 5 large
water 1.5 times the volume of eggs
ground pork 1/2 lb (1/4 kg)
soy sauce 2 teaspoon
salt 2 teaspoon
oil 2 teaspoon
cornstarch 1 teaspoon

• boil water in a wok or steamer on high heat, with a steaming rack
• in a glassware, combine and mix the pork, soy sauce, oil, cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon of salt (save the other teaspoon for later)
• flatten and spread the pork, this helps cook the meat evenly
• place the glassware of pork in the steaming wok, steam about 5 min
• once cooked, remove the glassware and break up the pork into small pieces, set aside
• in a large bowl, combine the eggs, water, and the other teaspoon of salt. whip thoroughly
• pour the eggs into the glassware of pork
• place lid or plate over the glassware
• place glassware back into the steaming wok
• turn heat to low and steam for about 20 -25 minutes

breaking up the cooked ground pork

silky and smooth eggs

commentaries

jun:

i’ve heard some recipes use 2 to 1 water to egg ratio. i haven’t tried that yet but i’d imagine it might be silkier. if you want to add vermicelli, soak it in hot water first to soften and put it in with the eggs.

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