Sunday 4 April 2010

Steamed Pork with Preserved Vegetable

One of my favourite, most comforting and homely dishes when I was a kid was a steamed pork dish my grandmother would often make. Strangely I never got round to making it until now but now that I have, I know it'll be a regular dish.

The minced pork is marinaded briefly and is studded through with salty shards of preserved cabbage to season the dish. Lily buds provide an interesting texture contrast, and a hint of herb about it. After steaming, you are left with an amazingly porky juices to spoon over some plain steamed rice. It's much like a meatloaf and any leftover works well sliced up and crumbled in brothy soups or chopped into fried rice. Both the Tianjin preserved vegetable and the dried lily buds were bought from my local Chinese supermarket.

Steamed Pork with Preserved Vegetable

Serves 4 as a multi-dish meal

500gr minced pork
2 tbsp Tianjin preserved vegetable
A handful of dried lily buds
2 cloves garlic
1" ginger
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 spring onion
1/2 tbsp cornflour
3 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 tsp sesame oil

Firstly, soften the lily buds and shiitake mushrooms in some hot water. Rinse the preserved vegetable to get rid of some of the salt and chop. Add to a large bowl with the pork mince. Finely mince the garlic and ginger and add to the bowl along with the lily buds, rice wine, soy sauce, pepper and the spring onion, also chopped finely. Slice the softened mushrooms and throw that in too along with the sesame oil. Combine well (I used my hands), giving it a good squidge and then add the cornflour, also combining well. Leave to marinate for half an hour.

Put a pot of water on and pack the meat into a bowl. Place in your steamer and steam for 40 - 45 minutes until cooked all the way through. Serve with a vegetable dish, spooning the juices over some plain rice.

14 comments:

Rich said...

Looks amazing! will definitely be trying that one

Rich

Sharmila said...

I've been wanting to cook this for ages. Also seen versions with eggs - pork and eggs, mmm. Anything with minced pork is invariably delicious and comforting. I think I'll now try it out.

Fillyerboots said...

This is really nice when you put a bit of dried squid on the top before steaming...

noodlecapricciosa said...

oh wow I always thought this was very tricky to make, have been very partial to the version with salted egg yolks mashed in. thanks for the recipe!

Su-Lin said...

Oh yeah! My mother used to make this all the time too and now I can't stop thinking about it. I've got to get that preserved vegetable to see if it's the same kind that my mom used.

Luiz Hara said...

I had never seen this dish/recipe before Lizzie, it looks delicious. I love PORK in every shape and form, pork belly being my favourite cut of meat ever, can't get enough of the stuff. I will bookmark this page right now!

Luiz @ The London Foodie

Vinosity said...

I've never tried the lily buds or Fillyerboots' dried squid suggestion; going to have to try those variations. I like a bit of salted fish on top of mine before steaming.

Helen said...

I will be making this for lunch this week. Probably tomorrow! I love the vegetable as you know but I've never had lily buds. A new ingredient too check out too. Bonza.

Mr Noodles said...

My gran used to make this too! Yuk-beng as its called in Cantonese is great comfort food!

Joshua said...

That does look very good, deeply savoury I imagine.

Reading the word meatloaf has reminded me that I need to make a US one soon, not that I want to eat it warm but fancy trying out a meatloaf sandwich for breakfast.

PlumLeaf 李葉 said...

WOW! that is a blast from my past!
As Mr Noodles says it's called "Yuk-Beng" meat-cake - I guess a form of meatloaf. Mum used to make this for our dinner when we were kids.

Mum used to do various different preserved vegetables steamed with pork - either ground or small chopped pieces like Mui-Choy steamed pork, or the sweet radish that we called "Choy-Tau" in our house.

You've made me salivate now!

gourmet traveller said...

not sure how I missed this post of yours - this was a staple at home growing up. mum would just stick it in a dish onto a rack in the rice cooker (above the rice) and once it beeps dinner's served!

I remember it being so tasty and packed full of mushrooms and pickled veg...ooh I think I'm gonna have to make me some of this porky goodness!

May said...

Ah yes, comfort food. Actually, Leong's Legend does a passable one and so does Four Seasons. Most of the cantonese restaurants do this one if you ask. The other dish I miss is the steamed eggs.

Changster said...

Hey! I think Muy Choy Yuk Beng should have some slices of Chinese sausage!