When it comes to eggs, there are so many ways to prepare it. Fried, Boiled, Poached, Baked, Steamed, and work into different recipes be it sweet or savoury. And if you are bored of the regular egg, you can trust the Chinese to come up with different ways of preserving eggs. Salted egg is magical stuff. Use it to coat anything, instant umami boost. And for those who are truly adventurous, Century Egg may look funky but has a far more complex flavour. For today’s recipe, I have combined all 3 of them for a truly comforting dish.

I’ve grown up eating Steamed eggs of all kinds of variations. At the very basic, it can be just eggs, water and some seasonings. It’s also commonly paired with minced pork for a more substantial meal. Over time, this dish has evolved to be more and more elaborate. Nowadays, I usually add both salted egg and century egg in our dish for that extra decadence.

There are a few basic steps to steamed eggs. The water to egg ratio is generally about 1.5 to 1 or less. You can do this by measuring water with the halved egg shells. But I generally eyeball it by the level of the liquid in the bowl. The heat can’t be too high, or you’d risk spoiling the texture of the egg. Some people are particular about the super smooth surface of the egg, you can achieve that by lowering the heat so the water droplets don’t form on the cover to drip down. I tend to be less pedantic about that, even sprinkling the spring onions before the eggs are cooked (I don’t like to eat super raw spring onions). I’m not sure if this one has a scientific explanation, but I was told to used boiled water instead of tap water for better texture.

My not so pretty steamed egg, haha!

Anyhoo, here’s the recipe!

Steamed Pork with 3 Colour Egg
150g Mince Pork
3 Eggs
1 Century Egg
1 Salted Egg
Cooled Boiled Water
Spring Onion
Sesame Oil
Soy sauce
White pepper
Half teaspoon cornflour

Marinate the pork with a touch of soy sauce, white pepper and cornflour and set aside til needed. Steam Salted egg for 5 minutes until cooked, then mash into small pieces. I usually crack it first to steam it in a small bowl. You could also steam the egg whole. Peel century egg and chop into small pieces. In a large bowl, crack 3 eggs and beat lightly, then add water. Mix well.

Prepare your steaming device (basic wok and metal trivet for me), making sure the water level is lower than the plate. Place the minced pork at the base of the steaming plate then pour over the egg and water mixture. Then scatter the chopped salted egg and century egg. Cover and steam for around 10 minutes. Then open up the cover and sprinkle spring onion on top, then steam for further 5 minutes or until done. To check, shake the plate, the egg should be slightlyy wobbly but set. Drizzle sesame oil on top, turn off heat and serve hot with rice.

The two other egg creates a jewel-like effect, very pretty! Usually this portion would serve around 5-6 people nicely, though in our household 3 of us can polish this.

What’s your ultimate homecooked comfort dish?