Chinese Steamed Eggs with Minced Pork

Step 1

In a small bowl, make the marinade by mixing together cornstarch (1 tbsp), oyster sauce (1 tbsp), salt (0.50 tsp), white pepper (0.25 tsp), and water (2 tbsp). Add the ground pork (5 oz) and mix thoroughly to coat. Once the meat is well combined with the marinade, add oil (1 tsp) and stir to combine. Finely chop the green onion (1 stalk). This will be for garnish, and you don't want to be sprinkling large, astringent surprises over your dish.

Step 2

Crack eggs (3 ) into a measuring cup or a medium-sized bowl. Beat them well until homogeneous. There should not be any noticeable streaks of egg white or yolk.

Step 3

Season the beaten eggs with salt (0.50 tsp). Add warm water (9 fl oz). Make sure it's not too hot, or it will start cooking the egg and the texture will turn out weird and lumpy. The ratio of water to egg should be approximately 1.5:1, though you can adjust it with slightly more water for a more tender result, or with slightly less water for a firmer texture.

Step 4

Stir gently to combine.

Step 5

Choose a flat dish with steep walls that are an inch or so deep. It can be any heat-safe material. Stainless steel conducts heat better, so the food will cook slightly faster. Ceramic and porcelain are slower at conducting heat, and retain heat better, so the food will take longer to cook through but will cook more evenly.

Step 6

Once you have found a suitable dish, spread oil (1 tsp) all around the bottom and sides to prevent the pork and egg from sticking. Then, transfer the marinated pork to the dish and spread it evenly to create a thin, flat layer along the bottom of the dish.

Step 7

Set up a pan or wok with a steamer rack and enough water to reach the steamer rack. To save time, you can boil the water ahead of time in a kettle.

Step 8

It's your personal choice whether to add enough water to touch the dish, or to go just below the dish. If the water touches the dish, everything will cook faster, but there's a higher risk of the water boiling up and into the dish. If the water is below the dish, everything will take longer to cook. Either way, make sure to have enough water so that it will not all boil off to leave you with a dry pan or wok!

Step 9

Once the water in the wok has come to a boil, place the dish of meat onto the steamer rack, cover the wok with a lid, and steam it for 3-5 minutes on medium heat--hot enough to keep the water steaming nicely, but not too hot that the water is wildly turbulent. The pork should come out about 80% cooked. A good indicator to look out for is when juices start forming.

Step 10

When the pork is about 80% cooked through and you can see some liquid pooling around it, it's time to add the egg layer. Give the egg mixture a quick stir and uncover the lid. Gently pour the egg all over the layer of pork. Pour slowly so it doesn't splash out. For a smoother, silkier texture, you can optionally pour it through a mesh sieve or strainer.

Step 11

To prevent condensation from dripping from the lid down into the dish, use plastic wrap or a plate to cover the dish. Then cover with the lid.

Step 12

Steam for an additional 5-6 minutes on medium heat. Then, turn off the heat and let the residual heat continue the cooking for another 3-4 minutes. Throughout the cooking process, keep an eye on the water and lower the heat if it boils too vigorously, or raise the heat if there's not enough steam to cook.

Step 13

You'll know it's done when the egg has firmed up and doesn't jiggle too much. If it's very jiggly and still watery, steam for another minute on medium heat, then turn off the heat and steam it until it's firm.

Step 14

Carefully lift the dish out of the steamer. Use oven mitts or a plate lifter to help. Garnish with the chopped green onion, and serve. Enjoy!