Steamed Eggs with Minced Meat
A quick and easy recipe for steamed eggs with minced meat, this is a classic Chinese egg dish made flavourful by using a combination of chicken eggs, century egg, salted duck egg and minced meat.
Steamed eggs with minced meat is a simple, classic Chinese egg dish made flavourful by using a combination of chicken eggs, century egg, salted duck egg and minced meat.
This is easy and quick to prepare at home, and you can also easily turn this into a vegetarian dish by omitting the meat.
The Chinese have long considered the century egg to be a delicacy. Century eggs are by no means, a hundred-year old eggs. In fact, they are also referred to as preserved eggs, thousand-year old eggs and millennium eggs.
They are actually duck eggs preserved in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime and rice hulls for several weeks to several months, depending on the methods used to process them.
During this process, the pH turns alkaline, the egg white transforms into a lovely translucent blackish jelly while the yolk turns greyish, soft and mushy.
Just don’t let its sulphur-ammonia like aroma deter you (the aroma disappears when cooked), as the century egg is truly a unique, delicious Chinese delicacy.
Salted eggs are also usually brined duck eggs, packed in damp, salted charcoal. These taste like regular hard boiled eggs, but when cooked, the yolks are a darker yellow with a texture that is more like a custard paste.
Salted eggs are also much more salty, so whatever dish you are adding this to, be sure to reduce your salted seasonings.
Both types of eggs are used extensively in Chinese cuisine, typically to add its unique flavours and texture to foods like porridge or congee, tofu, eggs, as well as snacks such as rice dumplings and Chinese mooncakes.
While it is generally assumed that the nutritional value of these eggs remain relatively unchanged from that of normal eggs as the egg shell provides an enclosed environment that is unaffected by the preservation process.
It is believed that century eggs contain excellent healthy, ‘powerful’ digestive bacteria that contributes to those in our gut. You can enjoy both types of eggs in this classic steamed minced meat dish.
Steamed Eggs with Minced Meat
Ingredients
A
- 1 salted egg cooked, diced
- 1 century egg diced
- 3 eggs lightly beaten
- 50 g minced pork or chicken
- 150 ml water
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp chicken seasoning powder
B
- 1 tbsp chopped spring onions
- 1 tbsp fried garlic oil or shallot oil
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
Instructions
- Combine ingredients A in a mixing bowl. Mix well and pour into an 8-inch round steaming tray or heatproof dish. Cover with cling wrap by pulling tightly over the rim of the dish on all sides, so as to ensure that the wrap is cleanly off the surface of the egg and meat mixture.
- Steam over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture has set. Remove, spread ingredients B over the surface and serve hot.
Nutrition Information:
