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Home » Blog » Recipes » Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork

Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork

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This savory Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork is Whole30-friendly and so simple to make! Don’t forget that steaming is a great cooking method!

An overhead shot of Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve harangued my mother to share her recipes for my favorite childhood dishes. She’s rebuffed me every time—in the most passive-aggressive way possible. A typical phone conversation:

“Hi, mom—what’s in your pot sticker filling? I’d like to try to make some.”

“Pot sticker filling? Ahhh…I don’t know…my recipes aren’t written down. They’re all in my head. I just…well, you know, Michelle. I just mix things together until it’s ready. I do it purely by look and feel. And smell. It’s all about experience. I’ve been making pot stickers for many years—since before you were born. Over 40 years!”

“Yes, I know—and I love the filling. If you’re not going to share with me how you make it, can you just tell me the ingredients you use?”

“Well…no. Because it changes. Sometimes, I use shrimp. Sometimes, dried scallops. But I’m telling you—it’s no use; you won’t be able to get the same quality. If you make it, it won’t be the same. How about I just make some for you and the kids instead?”

“But I want the recipe!”

“You know, my mother never gave me her recipes…”

Sigh.

Someone using a spoon to scoop out Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork

My mother’s culinary secrets remain safely secured in her mental vault, but through trial (and plenty of error), I’ve managed to come up with my own (Paleo!) versions of a few of her insanely delicious, super-comforting home-cooked dishes.

Case in point: Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork, a simple recipe for a savory steamed egg custard with minced pork, asparagus, and mushrooms.

A closeup of a spoonful of Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork

The version I grew up eating usually featured not just ground pork, but also salted, preserved duck egg yolks (鹹蛋) and fresh green scallions. It was my mom’s version of emergency protein—a quick and satisfying go-to dish to accompany the four other entrées (plus soup!) that she prepared for supper every night.

You can do the same with my recipe—or just eat it without any accompanying dishes at all. Filled with meat and vegetables, this egg custard can easily stand alone as a complete meal. It’s versatile, too; if you don’t have pork or asparagus or mushrooms on hand, just grab whatever ingredients you have on hand to prepare the filling. Just be sure to use the prescribed egg-to-water ratio to ensure a silky custard.

Ready?

Time to make Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the filling:

  • 1 teaspoon ghee
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • ½ pound ground pork (or your favorite protein)
  • 3-4 asparagus stalks, thinly sliced
  • 3 fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce
  • 2 teaspoons coconut aminos
  • freshly ground black pepper

An overhead shot of raw ground pork, a shallot, asparagus, and three shiitake mushrooms.

For the custard:

  • 3 large eggs
  • ¾ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce

For the garnish:

  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 2 green onion stalks, thinly sliced
  • ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Method:

Grab and prep your ingredients.

All the ingredients for Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork

A closeup of mincing a shallot on a wooden cutting board with a chef's knife.

Mincing shiitake mushrooms on a wooden cutting board with a chef's knife.

Heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the shallots and the pork to the pan, breaking up the meat with a spatula.

A cast iron skillet contains ground pork and shallots.

Saute the filling until the shallots are softened and the pork is no longer pink.

A cast iron skillet with the cooked pork and shallots.

Toss in the chopped asparagus and shiitake mushrooms…

Chopped mushrooms and asparagus are added to the pan with the ground pork.

…and stir-fry for about a minute or until the asparagus turns bright green.

An overhead shot of the cast iron skillet with the filling for savory egg custard.

Season the meat and veggies with fish sauce, coconut aminos, and freshly ground pepper. Taste the filling and adjust the flavors if needed.

A closeup shot of the cast iron skillet filled the cooked pork, asparagus, shallots, and mushrooms.

Next, spoon the meat and veggies into a shallow, heat-proof dish.

The custard filling is spooned to a shallow bowl.

An overhead shot of the filling of Cantonese Egg Custard in a white plate with a green rim.

While the filling cools slightly, prep your steamer set-up.

Fill a large stock pot with about two inches of water.

A pot is filled with water.

Pop in a steamer rack…

A metal steamer is placed in the pot with water.

…and cover.

A lid is placed on top of the pot containing the water and steamer rack.

Bring the water to a boil in the covered pot over high heat.

A closeup of a red stovetop dial set on High.

As the water in the steamer comes to a boil, make the egg custard by combining the eggs and water. (3 large eggs get you to the ⅔ cup mark—to that, add ¾ cup water.)

A liquid measuring cup is filled with eggs.

Water is poured into the cup containing the eggs.

A closeup of the eggs and water in a measuring cup.

Add 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and whisk to combine.

The eggs, water, and fish sauce are whisked in a measuring cup.

An overhead shot the whisked eggs.

A side view of the whisked eggs.

Pour the egg mixture over the meat and veggie filling.

The egg mixture is poured into the plate with the custard filling.

Whisked eggs are poured into the plate containing the custard filling.

Once the water in the steamer is boiling, turn the heat down to medium to maintain a hard simmer.

An shot of an open pot with steaming water inside.

Carefully place your egg custard on the steamer rack in the pot…

The uncooked savory egg custard is carefully placed in the pot with steaming water.

An overhead shot of Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork inside an open pot.

…and cover the dish with another heat-proof glass plate, turned upside-down.

The Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork is covered with another plate.

Replace the lid on the pot and steam for 15-20 minutes or until the custard is fully set.

The lid is placed on the pot containing the Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork

The custard’s ready when it is still slightly jiggly and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

A butter knife is stuck inside the middle of the Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork

Drizzle on some toasted sesame oil, and garnish the savory egg custard with chopped fresh cilantro and green onions.

Fresh herbs are placed on top of the Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork

Dig in!

An overhead shot of Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork ready to serve.


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).


 PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork by Michelle Tam / Nom Nom Paleo https://nomnompaleo.com
Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork

This Cantonese Egg Custard with Minced Pork is Whole30-friendly and so simple to make! Don't forget that steaming is a great cooking method!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time35 mins
Total Time45 mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Cantonese, Chinese
Keyword: eggs, gluten-free, keto, low carb, nomnompaleo, paleo, Primal, Whole30
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 228kcal
Author: Michelle Tam

Ingredients

For the filling:

  • 1 teaspoon ghee
  • 1 small shallot minced
  • ½ pound ground pork or your favorite protein
  • 3-4 asparagus stalks thinly sliced
  • 3 fresh shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce
  • 2 teaspoons coconut aminos
  • freshly ground black pepper

For the custard:

  • 3 large eggs
  • ¾ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon  Red Boat fish sauce

For the garnish:

  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 2 green onion stalks thinly sliced
  • ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Instructions 

  • Grab and prep your ingredients.
  • Heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the shallots and the pork to the pan, breaking up the meat with a spatula.
  • Saute the filling until the shallots are softened and the pork is no longer pink.
  • Toss in the chopped asparagus and shiitake mushrooms, and stir-fry for about a minute or until the asparagus turns bright green.
  • Season the meat and veggies with fish sauce, coconut aminos, and freshly ground pepper. Taste the filling and adjust the flavors if needed.
  • Next, spoon the meat and veggies into a shallow, heat-proof dish. 
  • While the filling cools slightly, prep your steamer set-up. Fill a large stock pot with about two inches of water. Pop in a steamer rack and cover with a lid. Bring the water to a boil in the covered pot over high heat.
  • As the water in the steamer comes to a boil, make the egg custard by combining the eggs and water. (3 large eggs get you to the ⅔ cup mark—to that, add ¾ cup water.) Add 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and whisk to combine.
  • Pour the egg mixture over the meat and veggie filling. 
  • Once the water in the steamer is boiling, turn the heat down to medium to maintain a hard simmer.
  • Carefully place your egg custard on the steamer rack in the pot, and cover the dish with another heat-proof glass plate, turned upside-down.
  • Replace the lid on the pot and steam for 15-20 minutes or until the custard is fully set. The custard’s ready when it is still slightly jiggly and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Drizzle on some toasted sesame oil, and garnish the savory egg custard with chopped fresh cilantro and green onions.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nomnompaleo or tag #nomnompaleo!

Nutrition

Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 17g | Fiber: 1g
21

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ellen says

    April 26, 2021 at 5:35 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious steamed egg recipe! Cooking the minced pork before steaming was the key to getting the texture right! Mine was always a watery mess! Oh and my mom never gave me recipes either (they were all in her head with hand approximations 😅). Thanks for the great instructions 🙂

    Reply
  2. Shama says

    July 31, 2021 at 12:52 am

    What kind of steamer did you use??

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      August 5, 2021 at 8:26 pm

      I just made a makeshift one in my pot with a steamer insert inside.

      Reply

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