Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Steamed Pork Patty w/ Shrimp Paste

I was watching a Hong Kong drama in which one of the characters referenced this homestyle dish: Haw Jurng Jing Yok Bang, or Steamed Pork Pattie w/ Shrimp Paste. Here is a little excerpt from the scene:
Husband was in an accident which left him crippled. He is majorly depressed after he got out of the hospital. Wife decides to make Husband's special dish for him to cheer him up. Husband's Brother came over for dinner and was praising her cooking skills. Wife says that the Steamed Pork Pattie w/ Shrimp Paste is Husband's fave. She even made a special trip to go buy the shrimp past because they had run out. Husband says that this dish is so good that he'd have to have at least 3 bowls of rice to go with it.
I didn't even pay attention to the rest of that episode. I was obsessed with trying out that dish. I mean, three bowls of rice? It's gotta be good. The only problem is that I couldn't find any recipes online and you can bet that this isn't something you can find on any menu. I can't read Chinese, so if anyone knows of a place that has this dish on their "secret" Chinese menu, please let me know.
Do I give up? My obsession mind would not allow it. So I made up my own recipe. Most homestyle Chinese dishes are pretty basic and true to their namesakes. Here it is:
Steamed Pork Patty with Shrimp Paste
1 lb ground pork
1/2 tbsp shrimp paste
1/2 tsp sugar
1 stalk green onions/scallions, minced (green parts only)
Mix all ingredients together really well. Form patties and place into a wide bowl for steaming. Set bowl in a pot of water that just reaches the bowl's half way point. Cover and steam for about 20 minutes after the water starts boiling or until the meat is no longer pink, depending on how thick your meat patties are. Serve over rice.
I started my rice just before I prepared the pork patties and I cursed my rice cooker for not working faster.
I had this meal with a side of steamed bok choy w/ oyster sauce. I poured some of the jus from the pork patties over my rice. It was delicious. I too had three bowls of rice.