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Steamed Minced Pork with Preserved Mustard Greens

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This steamed ground pork dish is a very popular homey dish in Chinese cooking that I grew up with. It’s one of my childhood favourite dishes throughout the year. This dish goes really well with a bowl of steamed rice and any Chinese vegetables.

Steamed Minced Pork with Preserved Mustard Greens01

Preserved mustard greens (called mui coi 梅菜 in Cantonese) don’t look appetizing before cooking. But it’s really tasty and perfectly pairing with meat. This dish can be prepared well ahead and chilled in your fridge. When you're ready, simply steam it in a wok.

Steamed Minced Pork with Preserved Mustard Greens02

To make this steamed ground pork dish is pretty easy and straight forward. Simply mix all the ingredients together, then pop the plate in a wok or steamer to steam. But often times, the steamed pork will easily turn tough and dry after steaming.

Steamed Minced Pork with Preserved Mustard Greens Procedures


If you want to enjoy tender and moist steamed minced pork, it needs a bit of loving care. Below the recipe I share some tips that work for me. If you have any other tips, feel free to share in the comments.

Steamed Minced Pork with Preserved Mustard Greens Recipe

(Printable recipe)

Course: Steamed
Cuisine: Chinese
Prep time:
Cook time:
Yield: 2 to 3 serves

 Steamed Minced Pork with Preserved Mustard Greens

Ingredients:
  • 220 gm minced pork / ground pork
  • 60 gm sweet mui coi / sweet pickled mustard greens
  • 4 water chestnuts, fresh or frozen, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp minced ginger
Marinade for mui coi:
  • 1 tsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ⅛ tsp corn flour / corn starch
  • oil, to taste
Marinade for minced pork:
  • ½ tsp light soy sauce
  • ¼ tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp corn flour / corn starch
  • pepper, to taste
  • sesame oil, to taste
  • 1 Tbsp egg white
  • 2 Tbsp water


Method:
  1. Rinse the mui choi thoroughly to remove any sands and dirt. Soak in salted water for 10 minutes in order to decrease the saltiness. Rinse again. Squeeze out the excess water. Roughly chop. Fry in a wok or small pan without any oil over low heat to bring out the aroma. Let it cool. Mix with marinade. Set aside.
  2. Mix the minced pork with marinade. Add water bit by bit so that the pork absorbs all the water well. Add water chestnuts and minced ginger. Stir towards one direction. Set aside for 20 minutes. Stir in the mui coi.
  3. Place the pork mixture in a shallow plate. Level the surface with a wet spoon. Don’t press it anyway. Use a pair of chopsticks to poke some holes in the meat. Cover with foil. Steam in a wok or steamer for about 10 to 12 minutes over high heat. The cooking time depends on the size and material of the plate you use. Turn off the heat. Let the pork stay in the wok for further 5 minutes. Serve hot.



Notes:
  • There are several kinds of mui coi. Try to get the type with a hint of sweetness. Available at Asian grocers.
  • The minced ginger will add a mild kick. Highly recommend but it’s optional.
  • To make tender and moist steamed pork, you need some fat blended in the minced pork. If using all lean pork, it’ll be very tough after cooking. The minced pork I got from supermarket has already mixed in some fat. If you mince lean pork yourself, you may add some fat in proportion. The best proportion of lean pork and fat is 7:3 or 8:2. Process the lean pork with fat in a food processor or chop them with a knife.
  • You need to add some water to make moist steamed pork, bit by bit, not in one go. The meat can easily absorb all the water well.
  • The egg white is to help the meat become smooth and soft.
  • The foil can prevent the water droplets from wok cover onto the meat so that the taste won’t be diluted.
  • After steaming, you’ll see some water in the plate released. Don’t discard it as it’s tasty juice. Let it rest for a while. The meat will absorb the juice back.

20 comments :

  1. So very appetizing! I miss preserved mustard greens.

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  2. This looks so delicious! All I need is just a bowl of porridge to go with it!

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    Replies
    1. Exactly, Jasline. This dish goes perfectly with porridge. OMG, craving for a bowl of it in this cool weather right now.

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  3. Made this twice already! Thanks!

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  4. Thanks for recipe. I tried tonight. The outcome was abit dry. I was expecting more juice after steaming as I remembered fondly my childhood dish. Could it b I oversteamed it at 15min?
    Rgds
    Cecilia

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    Replies
    1. Hi Cecilia,
      Yes, it could be over-steamed (over-cooked) and turned dry. But 15 mins won't be the problem. Wondering if something went wrong, e.g. the meat used was too tough or too lean, or not enough water mixed in, or other possible causes. I was not in your kitchen and watched how you cooked, so not sure which was the problem you encountered.


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  5. Thanks Christine for ur reply. I used shoulder butt. When I mixed the meat with the marinade I did note that it wasnt gooey but slightly dry n it doesnt clump together proper. I will try again n add more water till I get a gooey paste like that for bbq minced pork n see what is the outcome. Will also try to get a piece of shoulder but w more visible fat from the supermarket next time :)
    Thanks for your patience :)
    Rgds
    Cecilia

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    Replies
    1. Hi Cecilla,
      The meat cut used is quite crucial to make this dish successfully. Pork shoulder is a quite tough cut. Try pork neck or collar butt next time if possible.

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  6. Hi Christine
    I tried again w shoulder butt with more visible fat. Much better. Haha I can't figure out what went wrong in previous attempt as well. But now I know what to look out for during marinade to ensure tender n juicy outcome.
    Thanks!
    Cecilia

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    Replies
    1. Hi Cecilia,
      Good! You're getting there anyway.
      Happy cooking!

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  7. My family makes this regularly since I was little but I came across this recipe while looking for a chicken recipe. The idea to fry the mui choi first seems very interesting and Im definitely going to remember to try it next time before mixing it all together! =D I love the juice that collects in the dish though so I never cover it..it's so amazing on rice and is great as leftovers for lunch next day.. haha. Looking forward to more recipes. :)

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    1. Hi MC,
      Thanks for dropping by and leaving your lovely comment.
      I learnt the frying-mui-choi-first method from my mother-in-law. It brings up the fragrance and intensify the flavour. I love to have it on my rice too. So yum.

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  8. Dear Christine, I'm a fan and love to read your recipes. Till date, I've tried out several recipes and they have not failed me. I tried making this steam pork but it was failure. I prepared the meat accordingly however the end result was very firm and hard solid meat. The taste is good but texture is lacking moisture and tenderness. Could i have overmixed the meat? I kept mixing to ensure that everything is evenly distributed. Does this work like cake where we should not overmix?

    Appreciate any advice which you may have! Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Esther,
      First of all, thanks for your love and trying my recipes.
      The tips shared in the "Notes" section below the recipe will be of help. I'd like to highlight one more tip here. The texture of the pork meat used also brings an impact on the end result. Try not to get those tough cuts, or else you need to add enough fat and water to help soften the texture.

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  9. Hi Christine, I have mistakenly bought the wrong kind of mui choi. I have the salted, will it still taste fine if I make it?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Joyce,
      If you've got the salted kind, no worries. You can use it and make a good dish. Just follow method 1 to reduce the saltiness.

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