STEAMED MEAT PATTY 咸魚肉餅 HAAHM YU YIUK BENG

First posted here:
http://atthebackofthehill.blogspot.com/2010/11/steamed-meat-patty-haahm-yu-yiuk-beng.html.



咸魚肉餅 - HAAHM YU YIUK BENG
[Salt-fish steamed pork patty, also called 咸魚蒸肉餅 haahm yu jing yiuk beng. Jing (蒸) means 'steamed'.]

One pound fatty ground pork.
One TBS cornstarch.
Half TBS soy sauce.
Half TBS sherry.
Half TBS oil (optional - how fatty is your pork?).
A little garlic and ginger, minced fine.
Pinch of sugar.

Salt fish, between 2 and 3 oz, rinsed and soaked, patted dry and cut into a few pieces.

Mix everything except the salt fish together and let it stand thirty minutes. Then spread it into an oiled shallow bowl or plate, arrange the salt fish on top. Steam until done. If you have spread it thinly and you have a big steamer, it will only take ten minutes or so. If, on the other hand, you've made a thick layer it may take half an hour.

Sprinkle shredded fresh ginger and scallion on top ere serving.



Please note that the salt fish is optional - if you are very white you might not like it. But the whiffy salty fishy fermenty sabor autentico it adds is VERY important to the experience.
Besides making it utterly delicious.

You could also substitute some other ingredients in moderation - szechuan pressed vegetable, dried scallop, shrimp paste, whatever.  I usually replace some of the ground pork with Italian sausage. Just squeeze it out of its skin and mix it in.