A golden Vietnamese Steamed Egg Meatloaf that’s super easy to make! The mince is steamed to keep it exceptionally moist while crunchy woodear mushroom awaits on the inside. The top is then smothered in a gorgeous egg yolk glaze!
Complete your ultimate Cơm Tấm trio with Vietnamese Grilled Pork Chops!
Vietnamese Steamed Egg Meatloaf Recipe
Gone are the days where you chew through dry and bland meatloaf. You would think that steaming it would retain most of its moisture, but that’s not always the case!
I’ve had many from restaurants as part of a Broken Rice with Grilled Pork Chops (Cơm Tấm) trio that was anything BUT moist.
Luckily, our family’s Vietnamese Steamed Egg Meatloaf is the sort of recipe that won’t disappoint. It’s a dish that you can whip up any day of the week for these fantastic (and crucial!) reasons:
- Moisture is retained even after it’s reheated
- It’s flavourful enough to be enjoyed with or without rice
- Besides rehydrating some ingredients, 30 minutes from start to finish is all it takes
What you’ll end up with is a juicy meatloaf patty with terrific porky flavour all made using ONE dish. But that’s not even the most rewarding part!
I’ve got a family tip to ensure that you always end up with the most beautiful golden yolk glaze your meatloaf’s ever seen!
About this Vietnamese Steamed Egg Meatloaf
There are many variations and family twists to this steamed meatloaf. I know there are some that use salted fish (mắm chưng) and even some that splurge with crab.
This recipe is not one of those. But if you want a meatloaf that has a rich layer of egg yolk, classic moments of woodear mushroom crunch and is so tender it all but melts in your mouth, our Vietnamese Steamed Egg Meatloaf is the one for you!
What do eggs do for meatloaf?
Have you ever tried to make meatloaf and mixed mince with any ingredients without egg?
If your answer is ‘yes’, then you’ll know how difficult it is to get the mixture to succesfully hold together. And you can pretty much guarantee the final result will be rather…dry.
The role of adding in a few eggs is to help bind all the ingredients together for a juicy, rich and flavourful patty.
What you'll need to make Vietnamese Steamed Egg Meatloaf
- 250 g pork mince
- 10 g rehydrated sliced woodear mushroom (affiliate link)
- 25 g soaked green bean thread (affiliate link)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 eggs
- 2 egg yolks (to brush on top after cooking)
- 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce (affiliate link)
- 3/4 tbsp chicken bouillon powder (affiliate link)
- 1/2 tbsp salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tbsp sugar, or to taste
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
How to make Vietnamese Steamed Egg Meatloaf
Set up the steamer and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, coat the steaming dish with cooking oil. Tip: use a shallow dish to steam for the mince to cook through faster.
Mix the pork mince, woodear mushrooms, green bean thread, onion, eggs, fish sauce, chicken bouillon powder, salt and sugar together in the steaming dish.
Steam on a high heat for 20 minutes with the lid on.
Turn off the heat, remove the lid and brush on the egg yolks until the surface is covered. Let it rest for 2 minutes and watch as your meatloaf develops a beautiful golden top.
Run a sharp and thin knife along the dish to loosen the egg meatloaf then cut into pieces.
Serve with rice or enjoy as is!
More Vietnamese side dishes
Vietnamese Steamed Egg Meatloaf (Chả Trứng Hấp)
Ingredients
- 250 g pork mince
- 10 g sliced woodear mushroom
- 25 g green bean thread (soaked in cool water for 10 minutes, then drained)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 eggs
- 2 egg yolks (to brush on top after cooking)
- 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 3/4 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1/2 tbsp salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
Instructions
- Set up the steamer and bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, coat the steaming dish with cooking oil. Tip: use a shallow dish to steam for the mince to cook through faster.
- Mix the pork mince, woodear mushrooms, green bean thread, onion, eggs, fish sauce, chicken bouillon powder, salt and sugar together in the steaming dish.
- Steam on a high heat for 20 minutes with the lid on.
- Turn off the heat, remove the lid and brush on the egg yolks until the surface is covered. Let it rest for 2 minutes.
- Run a sharp and thin knife along the dish to loosen the egg meatloaf then cut into pieces.
- Serve with rice or enjoy as is!
Nutrition
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Oh wow, it looks and sounds delicious. Love the addition of mushrooms and that egg yolk layer on top… so good!
Thanks, Jo! It really does make a difference!
I’ve never tried this before but it sounds delicious so I am definitely going to have to give it a try!
I’d love to know if you enjoyed it!
Great tips on how to get a moist pork meatloaf! I need to try this recipe asap! Sounds delicious.
Thanks, Paula! I hope you love it!
Yum. I haven’t made a meatloaf in quite a while, so this recipe is very timely. Love the way it looks, so certainlly need to give it a try.
Thanks, Danielle! It’s definitely worth trying!
This looks like such a tasty dish, and such a good way to cook it to hold in the moisture. Delicious flavours and wonderfully wholesome.
Thanks, Helen!
Recipe sounds delicious! Question regarding the rehydration time of 20 minutes, I don’t see that step in the instructions. What is rehydration? Lastly, Instructions step 5 states rest 2 min…the recipe time doesn’t add up to the Total Cook Time. Please clarify. Thank you.
Hi there! We usually rehydrate the night before or 20 minutes prior to cooking by soaking the ingredients in water. This will give them a chance to become plump again.
Thanks for pointing that out about the 2 minute rest time. I’ve updated the recipe card!
The author is referring to rehydrating the dehydrated wood ear mushrooms. Since it is not clarified in the instructions, I would also recommend soaking the bean thread noodle in water to soften them prior to adding them to the mixture.
Hi! Yes, that’s right! Thanks for clarifying that, Cindy. Definitely soak the green bean threads first to get them pliable. I’ll update that in the recipe card!
Can I use ground chicken instead of pork?
Hi, Taylor! You certainly can 🙂
Can I use the noodles from pho soup as a substitute?
Hi Noel, pho noodles are much thicker and have a softer texture which I wouldn’t recommend. If you can’t find the noodles, you can simply skip it from this recipe 🙂
I make this once a week as Sundays in this house is broken rice with the lot for dinner. This meatloaf tops the restaurant version. Full of flavour and very moist.
Thanks, Daniel! Your house must be the best one on the street every Sunday ;D
Do you have a recommendation on what I can sub for the wood ear mushrooms? I love it but my son won’t eat it:(
Hi! I would simply leave it out 🙂 The woodear mushroom is mostly there for the texture, so it would be fine without it!