Vietnamese Steamed Pork and Egg Meatloaf for Broken Rice (Chả Trứng Hấp Cơm Tấm)

Step 1

In a large bowl, add the dried wood ear mushrooms and bean thread noodles. Pour warm water over the ingredients to rehydrate them. This should take about 20 minutes, or even faster if you use hotter water. Once rehydrated, drain and rinse the mushrooms and noodles. Finely mince them into small pieces. While you’re waiting for them to rehydrate, set up and heat up your steamer.

Step 2

In a large bowl, mix together ground pork, whole eggs (4), egg whites (3), minced wood ear mushroom, minced bean thread noodles, yellow onion, green onions, garlic, chicken bouillon powder, fish sauce, sugar, MSG (optional), ground black pepper, and sesame oil. You should have a very runny mixture.

Step 3

Line the bottom of a baking pan with parchment for easy removal and grease the sides with oil. Transfer the meatloaf mixture to the pan and gently shake the pan back and forth to even out the top. Steam over high heat for 25 minutes total. At the halfway mark, wipe down the lid to prevent water from dripping onto the meatloaf. To do this, lift the lid open at a 45° angle to allow the water droplets on the underside of the lid to slide off and back into the pot. Make sure that the water doesn’t slide onto the meatloaf. Wipe the lid with a kitchen towel and resume steaming. The middle will puff up a bit once done. Simply use the back of a ladle and press it down to get a flat top.

Step 4

In a small bowl, beat together the three egg yolks and annatto/crab paste oil (optional) until smooth. Brush the top of the meatloaf with this mixture.

Step 5

Steam for 10 more minutes, or until the yolk is set. Tilt the pan to discard any liquid that has accumulated, then place it back in the steamer (with the lid off and the heat off). The residual heat will help eliminate any excess moisture in the meatloaf (about 10 minutes).

Step 6

To remove the meatloaf, loosen the edges with a knife and flip the meat loaf onto a plate. Remove the parchment paper. To turn it upright again, place another plate on top and flip it back over. Slice the meatloaf into individual portions before serving.