鹹魚蒸肉餅 Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Fish is one of my childhood favourite comfort homecooked dishes. Sometimes we use salted fish 鹹魚. Sometimes we use preserved vegetables Mei Cai 梅菜. Either way, you make it you will have a delicious traditional Chinese recipe that is super homey and is great served with plain white jasmine rice.
In the olden days, dried salted fish is considered food for the poor. One salted fish can be eaten over several meals - sometimes with just shredded ginger and rice. Now, a quality dried salted fish is not cheap.
> In This Post: Everything You'll Need For Steamed Pork and Salted Fish Cake
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Types of Salted Fish
There are
- Fermented Salted Fish 霉香鹹魚
- Barramundi 鰽白
- Blue Salmon 馬友鹹魚
How is Salted Fish Made?
Salted fish is generally made by drying or salting either dry salt or with brine. Cantonese salted fish can be divided into two main types mui heung 霉香 or shí-ròu 實肉 (firm-fleshed). Firm fleshed salted fish does not need to be fermented and is prepared by seasoning followed by direct sun or wind drying.
Common Types of Salted Fish
- Fermented Salted Fish 霉香鹹魚
- Barramundi 鰽白
- Blue Salmon 馬友
I like using Blue Salmon 馬友鹹魚. Blue Salmon is great because it only has one big bone. It is aromatic and intensely fragrant. It is perfect to make salted fish with diced chicken rice or steamed pork patties with.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Fermented Salted Fish
- Pork Shoulder or Store-bought ground pork
- Ground White Pepper Powder
- Fresh Ginger or Ginger Powder
- Finely Chopped Spring Onions
- Kosher Salt
- Dark Soy Sauce
- Sugar
- Corn Starch
- Water
Instructions
You may wonder why I am chopping the pork shoulder meat myself instead of using store-bought minced pork. Store-bought minced pork does not have the same mouth-feel texture that mincing the pork yourself has. There is a small and large difference that gives the diced meat a good soft chewy texture. Store-bought minced pork becomes too soft and mushy.
Plus it is pretty therapeutic chopping the meat. Banging it against the chopping board. Just think of it as your worst enemy!
I usually select a pork shoulder that is half lean, half fatty so it won't become too dry once it is cooked. If it too fatty it gets too greasy. So it is really a matter of balance and preference!
Once the meat is minced, add in grounded white pepper, a dash of salt. If you are adding salted fish into your minced pork meat instead of just on top, reduce the amount of salt used - otherwise, it will be too salty.
Add light soy sauce, sugar and mix well. On the side mix some corn starch mixed with a little water. Slowly add into the minced pork, a little at a time. The reason is that the corn starch water will make the minced pork cake smoother. Let it rest between additions to allow time to absorb.
Some like to add finely diced ginger also into the minced pork if they were folding in the salted fish. I prefer not to add the minced ginger and only add the salted fish on top when I am steaming my minced pork pie.
If you choose to add in salted fish, gently fold in the salted fish meat so you get a distinctive mouth-feel and pork-fish separation.
Mix in a little oil.
on a 10 inch or 12 inch plate, layer the minced pork thinly on the plate. Place the salted fish and julienned ginger on top.
Put a steaming rack into your wok and boil approximately 2 inches of water. Once the water is boiling, put in your plated minced pork cake and steam for 12 to 15 minutes (depending on how thick or thin your pork pie is.) You may want to check in on it at the 12-minute mark.
Initially, when you open the wok cover, it may look like there is a lot of water/sauce on the plate. But give it a few minutes and it will soak right up into the pork. You will want some sauce to go with your rice.
Slowly using a plate clamp lift up the plate from the work. Add some finely chopped green onions as garnish.
We eat bowls and bowls of rice whenever we have Minced Pork Salted Fish Cake for dinner.
What To Serve With Steamed Pork and Salted Fish Patties
This authentic Chinese fish with ground pork and salted fish is the ultimate comfort dish robust with savoury flavour profiles! It is best to balance out a bowl of white jasmine steamed rice or stir-fried leafy green vegetables.
- Microwave Black Cod with Black Bean Sauce 豉汁蒸黑魚微波爐
- Chinese Braised Eggplant 紅燒茄子
- Vegan Dan Dan Noodles 擔擔麵 素食
- Air Fryer Soy Sauce Chicken Thighs 氣炸鍋豉油雞
After indulging in spicy, heaty, and crispy food, don't forget to cool away heat with a bowl of this liver-detoxing Chinese Sweet Mung Bean Soup 綠豆沙!
I'd love to see how you went with my recipes! Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @INSTANOMSS #INSTANOMSS.
> Recipe
PrintSteamed Minced Pork with Salted Fish 鹹魚蒸肉餅
鹹魚蒸肉餅 經典廣東手工菜 Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Fish is a classic Chinese Cantonese dish. It is one of my childhood favourite comfort homecooked dishes. Sometimes we use salted fish 鹹魚. Sometimes we use preserved vegetables Mei Cai 梅菜. Either way, you make it you will have a delicious Chinese homey meal that is great served with plain white jasmine rice.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 plate 1x
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Steam
- Cuisine: Chinese, Cantonese
Ingredients
- 1 lb Pork Shoulder, minced 梅頭豬肉, 手剁 (切碎+切絲)
- 100g Salted Fish, cut into small pieces 鹹魚
- ½ tsp Grounded White Pepper 胡椒粉
- 10g Ginger, julienne 薑絲, 適量
- 1 sprung Green Onion, finely chopped 蔥花.適量
- ½ tsp Salt, 鹽
- ½ Dark Soy Sauce 老抽
- Dash of Sugar 適量
- 1 tsp Corn Starch 生粉
- 2 tablespoon Water 水
Instructions
- Wash the salted fish and cut into small pieces.
- Debone and shred if you intend to mix into your minced pork.
- Wash pork sholder, remove majority of the fat and skin.
- Mince the pork sholder.
- Pro Tip: mince the lean pork seperately. Mince the pork fat seperately. Mix together with your desided lean meat to fat ratio in order to keep the mouth feel optimal.
- Add a dash of white pepper, salt, sugar and dark soy into the minced pork. Mix well.
- Make a liquid starch by adding 2 tablespoon of water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Mix well.
- Slowing adding little by little into the minced pork and mix well. Repeat until full incorporated. Let rested so the water absorbs.
- Fold in small pieces of salted fish and finely chopped ginger if desired
- Using a 10 or 12 inch plate, spread the pork patty onto the plate.
- Put the salted fish and julienne ginger on top.
- Over boiling water, place plate onto the steam rack and steam for 12 to 15 minutes.
中文版
- 鹹魚洗淨, 起骨切碎 (不要切太碎)
- 豬肉洗淨起皮，剁碎肥肉，剁碎瘦肉 手剁肉餅。味道和口感最好
- 加入適量肥肉，少許胡椒粉，鹽 ，老抽，糖，拌勻。
- 開一個生粉水，2湯匙水 加入，1湯匙生粉, 拌勻。
- 分幾次加入剁碎豬肉, 拌勻，加入切碎鹹魚，拌勻。
- 鹹魚放面，放上薑絲，大火蒸12 - 15 分鐘。
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 plate
- Calories: 94
- Sugar: 2.5 g
- Sodium: 20095.7 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 5.3 g
- Protein: 13.1 g
- Cholesterol: 37.7 mg
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Amy Liu Dong says
Never tried this but it looks delicious and easy. I am so excited make this at home
Nancy says
Enjoy this cozy dish!
Keri says
What a wonderful recipe. Thank you!
Nancy says
enjoy Keri!
Andrea says
simple and tasty all in one! love it!
Nancy says
Yay!! So happy that you are a fan!
Jamie says
I love the flavors of this dish!
Nancy says
super juicy and it retains all the natural goodness and juiciness
Giangi Townsend says
Great recipe and so flavorful!
Nancy says
bursting with umami flavour!
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
Great recipe. Instructions are easy to follow. And it goes great over with rice.
Nancy says
thanks Helen! I bet you had seconds!
Sue says
Delicious and easy, the best kind of meal!
Nancy says
the best!
Liz says
Such yummy comfort food! My husband and I both raved about this delicious recipe!
Nancy says
thanks Liz! I'm so happy to make dinner easier for you both!
Andréa Janssen says
This sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Nancy says
you are welcome Andrea
Mirlene says
I have not tried this dish yet! I'm very curious because it looks delicious and would be great with white rice!.
Nancy says
don't wait too long! you are missing out!
Kathleen says
What a fantastic flavor combination. I've never heard of it but am very excited to try it.
Nancy says
this easy recipe is full of umami and flavour bomb
Beth says
This is a really interesting recipe. I've never tried anything like this before, but I'm eager to. It looks good!
Nancy says
enjoy this classic cantonese recipe!
Beth says
Childhood recipes always taste the best! I love how quick and easy this is - perfect for busy school days!
Nancy says
childhood memories def pulls all the heart strings!
Addie says
These flavors work so well together! I love this easy, healthy and delicious recipe.
Linda says
I grew up eating this and it's our comfort food when we don't have time to cook. Can't wait to try this version
Nancy says
I love childhood foods - it always brings me back to my happy place!
Andrea White says
such a unique recipe! love how easy it is to make too!
Nancy says
she's a classic!
Jeannie says
This is easy and filling, love the perfect pair with rice, I use Japanese rice and almost finished the whole rice cooker.
Nancy says
We always overeat our rice intake whenever we make this dish too! but soooo worth it!