Steamed Pork Cake with Salted Fish, 咸鱼蒸肉饼 Xián Yú Zhēng Ròu Bing in Mandarin and Hom Yee Jeng Yook Baeng in Cantonese, is a dish my mother used to cook for us often growing up.
It’s a popular Cantonese dish among older Chinese folks, though Kaitlin enjoys it when we make it. Sarah, on the other hand, isn’t much of a fish person, and the salted fish packs a fishy punch 1000x the strength of regular fish! Well, maybe that’s an overstatement. The salted fish is an acquired taste (in case you couldn’t tell by its name), similar to anchovies, and I’ll leave it at that!
Notes on Ingredients
Steamed pork cake with salted fish is one of the Cantonese dishes we usually order when we eat out in Chinatown, because it can be a bit difficult to procure high-quality salted fish to make it at home. It’s one of our go-to’s alongside Stir-Fried Shrimp and Eggs and Salt & Pepper Pork Chops.
There are many varieties of salted dried fish at Chinese markets, but the kind you want to get is the fermented variety. In an ideal world, we’d all jet over to Hong Kong to buy our salted fish, which is hands-down the best place to buy it.
But until that happens, check out the Dried Seafood section of our Chinese Dried and Preserved ingredients page. We have some tips for selecting and buying the correct fish—what to look for and how to identify high quality product.
The fresh ginger is a vital ingredient here, as it balances the fattiness of the pork and the saltiness of the fish. Shaoxing wine also smooths out the taste of the salted fish, so it’s best to use it and avoid substitutions for this steamed pork cake.
A “More Rice!” Kind of Dish
This dish may sound a bit out there for some of you, but steamed pork cake with salted fish is one of those dishes that’s so good that it’s generally known among Chinese people to make everyone eat more rice! So be sure to cook a little extra.
I am notorious for eating multiple bowls of rice when this is on the table. Lately, I’ve taken to the tactic of using smaller bowls in an attempt to eat less. I’m never quite sure if I net out eating less rice whenever I go in for that third or even fourth “small” bowl, but it’s a mind game that works for me!
If all these mentions of salted fish, fermentation, and carb intake hasn’t scared you away yet, then it’s time to get your salted fish and get to cooking!
Recipe Instructions
Chop the ground pork finely with knife or cleaver and transfer to a bowl or start with a piece of pork shoulder butt and chop the meat without a meat grinder and make your own ground pork.
Add sesame oil, salt, white pepper, baking soda, Shaoxing wine, water, cornstarch, grated ginger, minced scallion, and water chestnuts (if using) to the meat.
Use a fork and mix everything together vigorously until the pork mixture becomes sticky and smooth—almost like a paste. Set aside to marinate for 1 hour or more.
Transfer the meat to a deep dish plate, forming a kind of thin patty. You must use a deep dish because liquid will pool in the bowl (it’s almost like a thin broth or sauce, and it’s great over rice!).
Distribute the slices of salted fish on top of the meat. If you put a lot of fish on top, then you may want to eliminate or reduce the salt from the ground meat in the previous step. If you put only a few slices of salted fish, then the fish will likely provide enough salt for the dish. It’s definitely about personal preferences when it comes to how salty you like it!
Spread the julienned ginger across the top of the meat and salted fish and then sprinkle the chopped scallion evenly over the top.
Steam for 10 minutes starting with a pre-heated steamer. See our post on how to set up a steamer if you’re not familiar with steaming foods in Chinese cooking.
You’ll see quite a bit of liquid in the plate after cooking. Turn off the heat and let the dish rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Some of that tasty liquid will be reabsorbed into the meat. Spoon the sauce over the top of your pork before servings and enjoy!
Serve this steamed pork cake dish with lots of white rice. That salted fish really makes you eat a whole lot of rice!
Steamed Pork Cake with Salted Fish (咸鱼蒸肉饼)
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fatty ground pork (340g)
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon ginger (grated)
- 1 teaspoon scallion (the white portion only, finely minced)
- 1/3 cup water chestnuts (chopped, optional)
- 4 to 6 thin slices of fermented salted fish (about 2 ounces total)
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (finely julienned)
- 1 scallion (finely chopped)
Instructions
- Chop the ground pork finely with knife or cleaver and transfer to a bowl. Add sesame oil, salt, white pepper, baking soda, Shaoxing wine, water, cornstarch, grated ginger, minced scallion, and water chestnuts (if using) to the meat. Use a fork and mix everything together vigorously until the pork mixture becomes sticky and smooth––almost like a paste. Set aside to marinate for 1 hour.
- Transfer the meat to a deep dish plate, forming a kind of thin patty. You must use a deep dish because liquid will pool in the bowl (it's almost like a thin broth or sauce, and it's great over rice!).
- Distribute the slices of salted fish on top of the meat. If you put a lot of fish on top, then you may want to eliminate or reduce the salt from the ground meat in the previous step. If you put only a few slices of salted fish, then the fish will likely provide enough salt for the dish. It’s definitely about personal preferences when it comes to how salty you like it!
- Spread the julienned ginger across the top of the meat and salted fish and then sprinkle the chopped scallion evenly over the top. Steam for 10 minutes starting with a pre-heated steamer. You'll see quite a bit of liquid in the plate after cooking. Turn off the heat and let the dish rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Some of that tasty liquid will be reabsorbed into the meat. Spoon the sauce over the top of your pork before servings and enjoy!
has anyone use an instant pot to cook this dish? If so, how long would you put in the instant pot? Would you use steam mode or low pressure to do it?
Ho Yvonne, you can use the instant pot as a steamer in steam mode.
HI! Trying to find correct salted fish! I’m in Seattle, but can only find pkgs of small frozen croaker. Doesn’t say salted, so is this the wrong fish? Went to H-Mart and found fresh “salted croaker” but large, and looked to require pan-frying ala Korean method of eating. Not what I want. Any ideas where to look?
Hi MaryAnn, you’ll find the right kind of salted (fermented) fish in a Chinese grocery store. The frozen croakers are not right and the fresh salted croakers are just that, fresh with salt added, which is typical in Korean cooking. The salted fish we use for this dish is salted and fermented. Use the image from our ingredients glossary to show at the Chinese grocery store to get this Cantonese-originated ingredient. Hope that helps!
I worked in a Chinese restaurant for close to 30 years. I was included in family meals after closing and had the experience of trying new things all the time. The first time they prepared salty fish I hated it. I never tried it again and the owner knew that was the only thing I would not eat. About eight years ago they made it while I was working. I decided to try it after all those years of that first memory. I surprisingly loved it and looked forward to them making it. Thanks for posting I still can’t find the right fish and will try this.
LOL…we do change, don’t we?
I am wondering what does the cornstarch do?
Hi Ming, the cornstarch is to help bind the ground meat together and keep the meat tender.
Hi all. This is a dish that I grew up with but can’t find in any restaurant so, finding this recipe was a bonanza. I finally tried it last night and it tasted fantastic even though I used 4 anchovy filets instead of salted fish (the nearest Chinese supermarket closed at a the end of last year) and it was perfect. I used ground pork from the supermarket which was very lean so there was no broth after it was cooked. Is there a way to tell if ground pork is “fatty”? I’ve been craving this dish for eons!! I’m not Chinese but our mom would always make it for us and it was such a treat. And it’s really easy to make. In any case, a million thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Hi Bobbie, please check out this recipe, and add water to the ground pork for extra juice: Steamed Pork Patty with Preserved Vegetables. This recipe also give you more ideas for meat cake combos.
Hi Judy, I will try the hom yu with more water, per the Pork Patty with Preserved Vegetables. Thanks for the help.
Love the way your website shows step-by-step pictures and that the recipes are clearly written.
Hi Bobbie, remember to whip the water in with the ground meat until it turns into a thick paste.
I also grew up on this dish and this recipe recreates it authentically, I loved the result! I’ll play with adding lap cheong and preserved veg. It’s not a dish found in restaurants but a very traditional cantonese home cooking comfort dish.
The only problem is trying to get the right salted fish. I got whatever they had in the Asian grocer, but it didn’t look like what I remember my mum used to use and didn’t taste as salty or nice. The hunt continues…
Hi Jen, the right salted fish is no longer available as I have not seen it for a long, long time. I think anchovies are a good sub.
I don’t think much salted fish is required to flavour the minced steamed pork dish. My mother’s version, includes finely chopped dried Chinese sausage (lup chen) mixed into the mined pork when prepping the pork for the steaming dish/pan.
Not sure…but on the Cantonese side, there’s a number of steamed meat dishes that we made/had when I was growing up (in Canada). Steamed sliced beef in a bit soy sauce with a bit of salted turnip/daikon, steamed chicken liver, steamed smelt fishes, steamed chicken slice with finely sliced dried Chinese sausage, et.
I don’t see dishes like above in restaurants…which leads one to believe these are more peasant, humble dishes that take time/don’t have the flash /colour like stir fried dishes.
Hi Jean, it depends how much you like the salted fish ;-) I love to get chunks of it with my rice. I have seen this dish in Chinatown restaurants, but you are right that it is not that common. It’s more of a home-cooked dish.