I have always called this dish Chinese Meatloaf but I have recently learned most people call it a steamed pork patty. It only takes 30 minutes to make but it is one of the most wholesome and delicious meals you can eat. All you do is combine the ingredients into a meatball-like mixture, flatten it into a steaming dish, then steam it for 15 minutes.
Looking for a simple side dish? Try pairing it with my easy Yu Choy recipe!
๐ฅก About This Recipe
This Chinese meatloaf is one of my favorite meals to cook at home. It only takes about 30 minutes to make, but it is super flavorful and pairs well with almost any side dish.
I have always called this dish Chinese meatloaf, but I recently found out that most people call it a steamed pork patty. I have never seen it at a restaurant before, but most Chinese home cooks that I know of, make it at home.
It is made by combining ground pork with various Chinese seasonings and steaming it into a round patty. There are many different variations to the filling but the version by my grandma is my favorite. She adds zha cai, which is a type of Chinese preserved vegetable. It is salty, a little sour, and adds a lot of flavor to the dish.
โญ Important step for the right texture
The most important part of this dish is to mix it long enough and you need to do it in one direction. This gives the meatloaf a bouncier and springer texture.
I use a pair of chopsticks for the mixing. The idea is that the proteins in the meat will form a matrix which tightens the bonds between them so it results in a firmer texture after cooking.
I have tried it with and without this technique, and it actually makes a huge difference. Just make sure to do it before adding any chopped vegetables, as they can get in the way of the mixing.
๐ง Ingredients
- Ground Pork: You can use any fat percentage you'd like. I have used both lean and regular ground beef, and both taste good. More fat makes it richer, but since the meat is ground up, even lean comes out tasting pretty tender.
- Seasonings: Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, toasted sesame oil, and white pepper.
- Vegetables: Zha cai, water chestnuts, and scallions. Zha cai is a type of pickled mustard green popular in Sichuanese cooking. You do not have to use zha cai; any Chinese preserved vegetables will work. Just make sure to chop the vegetable into small pieces.
- Cornstarch: I have found cornstarch to be super important in getting a juicy texture. When you mix it into the meat, it helps trap in the juices that would otherwise get squeezed out during cooking.
๐ช Instructions
STEP 1: In a large bowl, combine the pork, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, white pepper, sesame oil, cornstarch, sugar, and water. Give the mixture a quick mix and then use a pair of chopsticks to vigorously whip the meat in one direction for one minute. The mixture should become sticky and pasty. After mixing, stir in the zha cai, water chestnuts, and scallions.
STEP 2: Spread the ground pork mixture into a shallow dish and flatten it with a spoon.ย Make sure the mixture is even in height so that it cooks uniformly.
STEP 3: Place the dish into a preheated steamer. Cover and steam for 15-20 minutes. I usually start checking around the 15-minute mark and pull it out when the meat reaches 160ยฐF in the thickest part. Serve immediately with rice!
๐ Recipe
Chinese Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 350 g ground pork (about 12 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ยผ teaspoon white pepper
- ยฝ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ยผ teaspoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- ยผ cup zha cai (see notes for substitutions)
- ยผ cup water chestnuts (chopped)
- 2 scallions (chopped)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine pork, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, white pepper, sesame oil, cornstarch, sugar, and water.
- Give the mixture a quick mix and then use a pair of chopsticks to vigorously whip the meat in one direction for one minute. The mixture should become sticky and pasty. Stir in the zha cai, water chestnuts, and scallions.
- Spread the pork mixture into a shallow dish and flatten it with a spoon.ย Make sure the mixture is even in height so that it cooks uniformly.
- Place the dish into a preheated steamer. Cover and steam for 15-20 minutes. I usually start checking around the 15-minute mark and pull it out when the meat reaches 160ยฐF in the thickest part. Serve immediately with rice!
Christy chan
My husband is Chinese. His mother would always make this for us. I have also learned to make. This is an excellent recipe! All of my fellow American friends and family also love this!
Grump
Awesome, Christy! So happy everyone likes it. Meatloaf really does have universal appeal!