Steamed Eggs & Chinese Home Cooking
Steamed egg is a Chinese comfort food, as well as a quick and easy home cooking favorite. In harder times, it was a great way to stretch a few eggs to feed the whole family. It’s also a great way to round out a meal of several dishes. A few scoops of steamed egg in addition to rice, a veggie and a main dish, and you have what feels like a feast. But beyond that, the luxurious texture of the silky steamed eggs in contrast with the crispy pork bits is just fantastic and delicious. Simply put, you will not be able to stop eating it (until it’s all gone, that is).
Steamed Egg Variations
My original steamed egg recipe is like a blank canvas, upon which you can build many variations like this one. I have also seen Chinese steamed egg dishes with clams, shrimp, tofu, and even dumplings. Steamed Eggs with Crispy Pork is my latest variation, and we all love it. Hope you will too! If you do not eat pork or don’t have any ground pork on hand, you can substitute ground chicken or beef for this dish. And again, if you’re not sure how to set up a steamer using what you have in your kitchen, head over to our post on how to steam food, even without special equipment. On to the recipe!Steamed Eggs with Crispy Pork: Recipe Instructions
(Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients!)Step 1: Marinate the ground meat
Combine the ground meat with all the marinade ingredients. Stir until the meat has absorbed any standing liquid. Marinate for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the egg mixture.
Step 2: Make the egg mixture
To make the egg mixture, crack 3 eggs into a liquid measuring cup and note the volume.
Pour the eggs into a large bowl, add salt, and beat for at least 1 minute.
Measure the same volume of stock, and add it to the bowl.
Do the same with the water.
Whisk the mixture all together along with 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and make sure everything’s well combined.
Step 3: Steam the eggs
Place a heat-proof shallow bowl in a steamer over high heat. Be sure any water in your steamer will not be able to bubble up and touch the bowl during the steaming process.
Once boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer. Then, pour the egg mixture into the heated bowl through a fine mesh strainer.
Cover the steamer, turn up the heat to high, and steam the eggs for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes have elapsed, shut off the heat, but keep the steamer covered. Let stand for 14 minutes with the lid firmly covered. Cook the meat during this time.
The finished steamed egg is done if you shake the bowl slightly and it has a wobble like loose jello!
Step 4: Cook the meat
Heat a wok over high heat until it starts to smoke. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Brown the marinated meat over high heat until any liquid has cooked off and the bits of ground meat are crispy. Avoid stirring too much in order to give the meat a chance to brown and crisp.
Add in the chopped scallion, mix well and turn off the heat. In our case, we mixed in the chopped scallions off the heat, which left some of that raw onion flavor intact.
Feel free to do the same if you like!
Once the steamed eggs are done cooking, remove from the steamer, top with the cooked meat, and serve.
Recipe
Steamed Eggs with Crispy Pork
The luxurious texture of the silky steamed eggs contrasts beautifully with crispy bits of ground meat. You can also substitute ground chicken or beef!
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the meat & marinade:
- 4 ounces ground pork (110g, can substitute ground chicken or beef)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon ginger (minced)
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
For the egg mixture:
- 3 eggs
- water (same volume as eggs)
- vegetable or chicken stock (same volume as eggs)
- salt (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
To cook the ground meat:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 scallion (finely chopped)
Instructions
Marinate the ground meat:
- Combine the ground meat with all the marinade ingredients. Stir until the meat has absorbed any standing liquid. Marinate for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the egg mixture.
Make the egg mixture:
- To make the egg mixture, crack 3 eggs into a liquid measuring cup and note the volume. Pour the eggs into a large bowl, add salt, and beat for at least 1 minute.
- Measure the same volume of water, and add it to the bowl. Do the same with the stock. Whisk the mixture all together along with 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and make sure everything's well combined.
Steam the eggs:
- Place a heat-proof shallow bowl in a steamer over high heat. Be sure any water in your steamer will not be able to bubble up and touch the bowl during the steaming process.
- Once boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer. Then, pour the egg mixture into the heated bowl through a fine mesh strainer.
- Cover the steamer, turn up the heat to high, and steam the eggs for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes have elapsed, shut off the heat, but keep the steamer covered. Let stand for 14 minutes with the lid firmly covered. Cook the meat during this time.
Brown the meat:
- Heat a wok over high heat until it starts to smoke. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Brown the marinated meat over high heat until any liquid has cooked off and the bits of ground meat are crispy. Avoid stirring too much in order to give the meat a chance to brown and crisp.
- Add in the chopped scallion, mix well and turn off the heat. Once the steamed eggs are done cooking, remove from the steamer, top with the cooked meat, and serve!
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 179kcal (9%) Carbohydrates: 2g (1%) Protein: 11g (22%) Fat: 14g (22%) Saturated Fat: 6g (30%) Cholesterol: 143mg (48%) Sodium: 423mg (18%) Potassium: 178mg (5%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 1g (1%) Vitamin A: 210IU (4%) Vitamin C: 0.6mg (1%) Calcium: 22mg (2%) Iron: 1mg (6%)
