Name: Steamed Pork Loaf with Salted Fish
Yield: Serves 2–4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons finely chopped, drained salted fish in oil or soaked dried fish; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger; 1 tablespoon light soy sauce; 2 teaspoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry; 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil; 450 g (1 lb) fatty minced pork; 1 teaspoon sugar; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 2 teaspoons cornflour; 3 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions; 450 g (1 lb) fresh water chestnuts, peeled and coarsely chopped, or 350 g (12 oz) canned water chestnuts, coarsely chopped

Preparation info

Serves
2–4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Easy Family Dishes

By Ken Hom

Published 1998

About

What goes around comes around. When I was growing up in Chicago many years ago, my mother used to serve salted fish regularly. It was nutritious and cheap. She often served it in this variation of steamed pork loaf. The inexpensive fish extended the pork loaf, as it were, while its briny spiciness added depth to the robust flavour of pork.

Because of the salted fish, the mixture stood up well even with our primitive refrigeration. To me, it tasted better served two days later.