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Rou Bing Zheng Dan {Pork Cake layered with Eggs}

A traditional Shanghai-style steamed minced pork dish

by Shirley
Rou Bing Zheng Dan {Shanghai-style Steamed Pork Cake with Eggs}

Rou Bing Zheng Dan {肉饼蒸蛋}, or loosely translates as Steamed Pork Cake with Eggs, is a traditional Shanghai-style dish. When I attended college in Shanghai, this is one of my favorite food made in the university cafeteria. So naturally yummy, hearty, and satisfying. Most importantly, so effortless to make at home. The active working time is about 10 minutes. The rest is to steam for 30 minutes and enjoy!

Rou Bing Zheng Dan {Shanghai-style Steamed Pork Cake with Eggs}
Shanghai-style Rou Bing Zheng Dan {Steamed Pork Cake with Eggs}

I use the same pork filling for the iconic Huai Yang style Shi Zi Tou {狮子头 or pork meatballs} Soup, and then layer with the egg liquid and steam for 30 minutes.

Seasoned Minced Pork in the steaming pan

How to make Rou Bing Zhen Dan {Shanghai-style Steamed Pork Cake with Eggs} easy and yummy at home?

Tip No.1 is to use home ground pork if possible

Ground pork, or more precisely minced pork, is the first and most important ingredient. The Shanghai dialect “Zai” speaks the essence of it. “Zai” means chop or mince, meaning the pork should be cut into small pieces but not overly processed. This way, the pork maintains its meaty deliciousness.

When I was a child growing up in Suzhou in the early 70s, most households made ground pork using the old-fashioned chopping method involving a cleaver and a rather thick wood cutting board. I remember walking back home from school in the afternoon while listening to the familiar rhythmic chopping sound filled in the alley.

Home Ground Pork for juicy delicious dumpling fillings, meatballs and more
Home Ground Pork for juicy delicious dumpling fillings, meatballs, and more

Nowadays I use a meat grinder aiming to achieve a similar yumminess to the ground pork. The grinder attachment of my KitchenAid Stand Mixer has two sizes. I use the larger size to grind pork, and the smaller size to grind cooked red beans for homemade red bean paste.

Besides the chopping/mincing method, the pork itself needs to have a good balance of lean vs. fat. I usually use 60% pork shoulder or butt and 40% pork belly to get the super juicy ground pork. Read here to learn all about making perfectly juicy and tasty ground pork at home.

Tip No.2 is to use Bian Jian {salted tender bamboo shoots} to enhance the flavor and texture

Bamboo always makes a wonderful companion to pork. It cuts down the greasiness of the pork and at the same time absorbs the yumminess from the pork.

Each year in the early Spring when bamboo just started the shooting process, those slender, extremely tender bamboo shoots were harvested and preserved with salt. They become Bian Jian {扁尖}. They are essentially salted tender young bamboo shoots, which is a classic Huai Yang cuisine ingredient. “Bian” literally means flat, and “Jian” tips.

Bian Jian {Salted Tender Bamboo Shoots} before and after soaking
Bian Jian {Salted Tender Bamboo Shoots} before and after soaking
Rou Bing Zheng Dan {Shanghai-style Steamed Pork Cake with Eggs}

Rou Bing Zheng Dan {肉饼蒸蛋 Shanghai-style Steamed Pork Cake with Eggs}

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Rou Bing Zheng Dan {肉饼蒸蛋}, or loosely translates as Steamed Pork Cake with Eggs, is a traditional Shanghai-style dish. So naturally yummy, hearty, and satisfying. Most importantly, so effortless to make at home. 

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground pork, home ground preferred
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/4 tsp salt, Himalayan pink salt, or sea salt

For Marinating the Pork:

  • 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp naturally aged soy sauce or dark soy sauce
  • 1 tsp Zhenjiang vinegar
  • 1 large egg, cage-free or organic
  • 1/2 tbsp arrowroot flour
  • 1/4 tsp cane sugar, organic unrefined preferred
  • 1/2 tsp ginger powder
  • 1 large stalk of green onion, finely chopped
  • 2 Bian Jian, salted tender bamboo shoots, chopped into small pieces

Instructions

Prep Work:

  • Soak Bian Jian in plenty of cold water 3 hours prior to cooking. Rinse a few times.
    Ingredients to make Steamed Pork Patty Huai Yang Style
  • Cut green onion into small pieces.
  • Cut Bian Jian into bite-size lengths and then add to a compact food processor to coarsely chop into small pieces.
    Bian Jian, finely chopped for Huai Yang style steamed pork patty
  • Crack 6 eggs in a mixing bowl, and 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt, vigorously whisk together, and set aside.
    Whisked egg liquid in the mixing bowl
  • Add 6 cups of water into the wok and bring it to a boil.

Getting Ready for Steaming:

  • Place ground pork into a mixing bowl, crack one egg into it and then add everything under "For Marinating" along with the chopped green onion and Bian Jian.
    Ground Pork with seasoning for Steamed Pork Patty Huai Yang Style
  • Use a bamboo spatula to loosen the pork and fold it into the seasonings.
    fold ground pork into seasoning for Steamed Pork Patty Huai Yang Style
  • After that, turn the spatula in the same direction continuously until everything is bonded together, about 3 minutes.
    Stir the seasoned ground pork in one direction for tasty pork
  • Add the seasoned minced pork into a rectangular glass dish, and level the top using a flat-edged spatula or dough cutter.
    Seasoned Minced Pork in the steaming pan

Steam and Enjoy:

  • When the water in the wok is about to reach a boil, pour the egg liquid into the steaming dish, and place the dish inside the work. For a rectangular glass dish that is about 9-inch long, it will snug inside the wall of the wok without needing a steaming rack.
    pour egg liquid o top of the seasoned minced pork for Rou Bing Zheng Dan
  • Cover the wok with a lid and steam for 30 minutes. Remove the dish from the wok and cool down a little on a wired rack before slicing and serving.
    Rou Bing Zheng Dan {Shanghai-style Steamed Pork Cake with Eggs}
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 342Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 291mgSodium 1031mgCarbohydrates 4gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 29g

Nutrition calculation is provided by Nutritionix to the best knowledge per ingredients description and isn't always accurate.

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