Steamed Eggs with Ground Pork

I was inspired to make this dish from an old childhood memory. I remember my mother making this for us, and young as we were, my brother and I thought it looked weird, but we ate it anyway. And it was delicious. (Hubby thought it looked like meatloaf with egg!)

Looking back, I realized that this recipe is a somewhat crude form of quiche, but of course, a few years ago, I didn't even know that the word "quiche" exists. I feel that this is more Oriental than French though... maybe Chinese? Next time I make it, I would probably pair it with congee. 



What you need: 

3/4 pound ground pork
6 eggs
about 6 to 8 pieces dried shiitake mushrooms
3 stalks green onion
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon rice wine
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon canola oil
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon beef broth
dash of white pepper   


What to do: 

Put about 2 cups of water in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for at least 2 minutes. Soak dried mushrooms in the hot water for about 5 minutes. Remove from water and slice the caps in small pieces.

Heat wok over medium-high and add canola oil. Saute garlic for about 30 seconds, then add ground pork. Cook until brown. Season with soy sauce and oyster sauce. Mix well, remove from heat and set aside.

In a deep oven-safe bowl, beat eggs and add rice wine, sugar, beef broth, green onions and ground pork. Stir to distribute ingredients evenly. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and steam for 45 minutes, or until eggs are set. Season with white pepper.


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks: 

1. Use ground beef instead of pork.
2. It is natural for the meat to settle when you steam the mixture. You would also find some water/broth on the bottom of the bowl.
3. Not a fan of dried mushroom? Skip it!
4. You can also use regular black pepper. I used white so it wouldn't show on the surface.
5. I feel like I used a lot of meat. Next time, I will cut the amount of meat in half to give it a more "quiche-ish" texture.