Vietnamese Egg Meatloaf (Chả Trứng Hấp)

A simple savoury dish of ground pork, shrimp, and eggs mixed with mung bean noodles and crispy wood ear mushrooms, topped with golden egg yolks, and steamed to perfection.

Course Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine Vietnamese

Keyword cha trung hap, eggs, ground pork, instant pot, meatloaf, vietnamese egg meatloaf instant pot, vietnamese meatloaf

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Resting Time 15

Total Time 1 5

Servings people

Calories 350kcal

Ingredients

20 g wood ear mushrooms (~ a scant 1/2 cup)
500 g ground pork
200 g shrimp minced (see note)
5 large eggs (3 whole, 2 separated into yolks and whites)
200 g shallots diced (3-4 medium shallots)
1 medium carrot shredded
2-3 cloves garlic minced
50 g mung bean noodles
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground

Instructions

Soak the wood ear mushrooms in warm water for 15-20 minutes, or until softened and pliable. Once the mushrooms are ready, chop them into thin slices, or mince them.
Soak mung bean noodles in cold water for 10-15 minutes. Once they're soft and flexible, cut them into approx. 5 cm (2 inch) pieces.
Combine all of the ingredients EXCEPT FOR the two reserved egg yolks in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly, ensuring that the eggs and egg whites are distributed evenly.
Line a large, flat pan with parchment paper. A brownie or cake pan works nicely, but anything that's not too deep and fits in a steamer will work. If you don't have parchment paper you can use aluminum foil or some vegetable oil to line the pan.
Spread the mixture in the pan. Smooth out the surface as much as you can.
Whisk the egg yolks with a pinch of salt. Pour them evenly over the surface of the meatloaf, tipping the pan to get the mixture to the edges if necessary.
Place the meatloaf in a steamer (see notes for variations). Cover and steam for 20 minutes. You may need to adjust the cooking time if your pan is on the small side, as it will make the meatloaf thicker. If in doubt, check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer - it's done at 71°C (160°F).
When uncovering the finished meatloaf, take care to let condensation on the lid drip away from the egg mixture to avoid discolouring it (there's nothing dangerous with getting water on the top, but it's less attractive). Let the finished meatloaf sit for about 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving alone or with broken rice.

Notes

You can substitute crab for the shrimp, or omit the seafood altogether and use more pork.

Cooking Variations:

Baking - if you don't have a steamer you can bake the mixture without the egg yolk layer on top in a 200°C (400°F) oven for about 30 minutes (assuming a fairly thin meatloaf - about 2 inches [5 cm] - you'll need to extend the cooking time to make up for a thicker meatloaf. If in doubt, cook until the internal temperature is about 155°F [68°C] before adding the egg layer). Remove the meatloaf from the oven, spread the yolk mixture over the top and return to the oven until the egg is golden and set (4-5 minutes). Cool and serve as for steamed version.
Instant Pot - this is basically just the steamed version adapted for an electric pressure cooker. You'll most likely need a smaller, deeper pan (or half the recipe) in order to use the Instant Pot, so the cook time isn't any shorter than for a steamed version. Place the metal steamer insert in the bottom of the Instant Pot and add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pot. Place the meatloaf (with the egg yolk mixture already spread on top) on the steamer insert. Seal the lid, ensuring that the valve is closed, then cook on manual (high pressure) for 20 minutes. Quick release the valve and cool/serve as for the steamed version. (Note that this cooking time assumes that you've made a thicker meatloaf in a smaller pan in order to accommodate the IP inner container size - if you do a half recipe you can cut the cook time to about 15 minutes).

Nutrition