Homestyle Steamed Pork Patty with Mui Choy
梅菜蒸肉餅·(Mui Choy Zing Juk Bing)
San Cai Yi Tang: The Weeknight Blueprint
The shallow metal plate sits inside the wok. The wrinkled mui choy waits on the chopping block. The earthy steam of Mui Choy rises from a bamboo steamer basket on the back burner. This Hakka preserved mustard green is a certified rice-killer, but the real secret to the texture is mechanical stirring. Skip the mechanical stirring and forceful slapping, and you get a dry meatloaf. Whip the pork paste in a single direction until the proteins bind, and you transform supermarket pork into a bouncy masterpiece that cooks itself in the hissing steam. Scoop the minced pork and its salty broth over hot rice, and eat it immediately.
Before you start
Prep the greens ahead of time.
Wash, soak, dry-fry, and store the Mui Choy in an airtight container in the fridge up to a week in advance to turn this into a true fifteen-minute weeknight meal.
Ingredients
- ground pork12 oz
- light soy sauce1 tbsp
- oyster sauce1 tbsp
- Shaoxing wine1 tsp
- sugar1/2 tsp
- ground white pepper1/4 tsp
- cornstarch1 tbsp
- cold water3 tbsp
- toasted sesame oil1 tsp
- neutral cooking oil1 tsp
- sweet Mui Choy1 1/2 oz
- sugar1 pinch
- water chestnuts4 small
- ginger1 tsp
- scallion1 med
Method
- 01
Tame the Mui Choy.
Heat a dry skillet over medium heat and toss the minced Mui Choy with a pinch of sugar for a minute or two until the moisture evaporates and it smells incredibly fragrant, then set it aside to cool.
- 02
Master the science of the stir.
In a large bowl, combine the pork, soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, the half teaspoon of sugar, white pepper, and cornstarch, then vigorously stir the meat in one single, continuous direction for a minute until it becomes a sticky, cohesive paste.
- 03
Hydrate the sponge.
Keep stirring in that exact same circle while you add the cold water one tablespoon at a time, waiting until the meat fully absorbs the liquid before adding the next, then stir in the sesame and neutral oils to lock it all in.
- 04
Slap the meat into submission.
Pick up the entire sticky mass of pork with your hand and aggressively throw it right back down into the bowl ten to fifteen times to force out the air and tighten the proteins for that authentic bouncy bite.
- 05
Fold, form, and vent.
Gently fold in the cooled Mui Choy, water chestnuts, ginger, and scallion whites, then spread the mixture loosely into an even 3/4-inch layer on a shallow, heat-proof plate without packing it down, and poke a few holes through the meat with a chopstick so the steam can penetrate.
- 06
Steam to perfection.
Place the plate in a steamer setup over a rapid boil, cover, and steam on high for 12 to 15 minutes, then garnish with the scallion greens and serve immediately with copious amounts of white rice.
Notes
Identifying the right Mui Choy.
Look for the character '甜' (Sweet) on the packaging at your local Asian market; if you can only find the salty variety, you must soak it for at least 45 minutes to avoid ruining the dish.
Rigging a steamer setup.
If you don't have a bamboo steamer, roll up three balls of aluminum foil in the bottom of a deep, wide skillet with a tight-fitting lid, add an inch of water, bring to a boil, and balance your plate right on top.