The Best Chinese Steamed Meat Patty Recipe

In my opinion, Steamed Meat Patty always has a spot in the top ten Cantonese home-style dishes. Pork shoulder minced together with pork fat creates a rich and juicy texture, making it perfect to enjoy with rice!

A timeless home-cooked dish

Don’t underestimate the steamed meat patty as a simple dish. While the cost of making it used to be minimal, with the passage of time and rising prices, fresh pork today costs three to four times more than it did a decade ago. For a family of four, making a plate of steamed meat patty can easily cost over AUD$20, which isn’t cheap for a home-cooked dish. However, there’s an unspoken joy in mincing the meat yourself, a sentimental connection that only Hongkongers can truly understand.

there’s an unspoken joy in mincing the meat yourself, a sentimental connection that only Hongkongers can truly understand.

Why is it better to mince pork yourself?

Many people buy pre-ground meat to make steamed meat patty, but machine-ground meat lacks the process of "gel formation", which is crucial for creating a tender and springy texture. Without this, steamed meat patties made from store-bought minced pork often lack the desired texture.

"Gel formation" refers to the process that occurs when you manually chop the meat, allowing the proteins to release and become sticky. This helps the steamed meat patty hold together better, lock in the juices, and achieve a tender, bouncy texture. Here are some key points to achieve proper "gel formation":

Hand-chopping the meat: By repeatedly chopping the meat with a knife, you help release the proteins, making the meat sticky.

Mince until sticky: When the meat starts to feel sticky to the touch, it has reached the "gel formation" stage. This ensures that the steamed meat patty holds its shape and doesn't fall apart easily.

Slapping the meat: After mincing, pick up the meat and slap it back into the bowl about 20 times. This action further enhances the elasticity of the meat.

"Gel formation" refers to the process that occurs when you manually chop the meat, allowing the proteins to release and become sticky.

Should water be added when making steamed meat patty?

This is a common question that confuses many. Yes, when making steamed meat patty, water should be added because the pork loses moisture during the mincing process. Adding the right amount of water after mincing helps rehydrate the meat, preventing it from becoming too dry during cooking and ensuring a more tender texture.

Moreover, adding water allows the steamed meat patty to better absorb seasonings, making the dish more flavourful. The water also helps create a softer, less dense texture while promoting cohesion, reducing the likelihood of the patty falling apart during cooking. When cooked at high temperatures, meat tends to lose moisture, shrink, and become tough. However, by adding water, you can maintain hydration, which minimises shrinkage and ensures the patty retains its shape and size.

Adding the right amount of water after mincing helps rehydrate the meat, preventing it from becoming too dry during cooking and ensuring a more tender texture.

Healthy Steamed Meat Patty with Cordyceps Flower

The ingredients for making a steamed meat patty are quite simple. It typically involves purchasing pork shoulder and adding some fatty pork, then mincing it until it reaches a sticky consistency before mixing in some marinade. In restaurants or dim sum parlours, the ratio of lean pork to fatty pork is often about fifty-fifty. This higher fat content results in a meat patty that is especially springy and tender, which is why it always feels so satisfying when eaten out. However, when preparing it at home, balancing health with flavour becomes a personal choice.

when making steamed meat patty it at home, we don’t need to use as much fatty pork.

However, when making it at home, we don’t need to use as much fatty pork. For this steamed meat patty with cordyceps flower recipe, I’ve reduced the amount of fatty pork to about 15% of the pork shoulder. Additionally, I’ve included cordyceps flower in the patty, which is known for its benefits in strengthening the spleen and lungs, as well as nourishing the liver and kidneys, making this dish even healthier. Although the reduced fatty pork means the texture differs slightly from what you get at restaurants, what you gain is a true taste of home!

Ingredients (serve 2)

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Basic Ingredients

Pork Shoulder	300g
Pork Fat	40g
Cordyceps Flower	20g
Spring Onion (chopped)	to garnish

Marinade

Salt	1 tsp
Dark Soy Sauce	2 tsp
Shaoxing Wine	2 tsp
White Pepper Powder	1 tsp
Cornstarch	2 tsp
Sesame Oil	2 tsp
Water of soaking Cordyceps Flower	2-3 tbsp

Steps

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1. Soak the cordyceps flower in water for 10 minutes, then cut it into sections. (Reserve 2-3 tablespoons of the soaking water to add to the meat patty mixture.)

2. Cut the fatty pork into small pieces.

3. Some people may be unsure how to start when faced with a large piece of meat. The best method is to first slice it, then cut it into strips, and finally dice it into small pieces.

4. Then, use a larger cleaver to chop it until it becomes finely minced.

5. In a large bowl, lift the minced meat and pound it forcefully into the bowl about 20 times to help it become sticky and form a gel-like consistency.

6. Add the soaked cordyceps flowers, diced fatty pork, and the previously mentioned marinade to the bowl, and mix everything thoroughly.

7. Evenly spread the meat mixture onto a plate, ensuring it's not too thick. Steam at 100°C for 12 minutes.

8. Once steamed, sprinkle a little chopped spring onion on top, and it's ready to serve.