Here’s a simple, no-fail recipe for Vietnamese Egg Meatloaf (Cha Trung), often called Egg Cake. In this recipe twist, I show you how to bake the meatloaf instead of steaming it. It’s really easy and the Egg Meatloaf comes out moist and delicious. By the way, this meat mixture is really versatile and used as a filling in many Vietnamese dishes from egg rolls and dumplings to stuffed bitter melon and meat pies. Learn this easy recipe and it will be one you use again and again. Enjoy!
Egg Meatloaf / Egg Cake / Cha Trung
Ingredients
1.8 oz bean thread noodles .3 oz dried black fungus slivers (also called wood ear mushrooms) 4 oz can crab meat 1/4 small yellow onion 3 green scallions 1 lb lean ground pork 1/2 tsp minced garlic 2 tsp vegetable oil 1 Tbsp fish sauce 1 Tbsp oyster sauce 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 7 large eggs non-stick cooking spray
Directions
Soak the bean thread noodles and black fungus slivers in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain the noodles and fungus and set aside in separate bowls.
Drain the canned crab meat using a sieve. Gently press the crab meat with a spoon to remove the excess liquid.
Chop the noodles, fungus, onion and scallions.
In a large bowl, add the noodles, fungus, crab meat, onion, scallions, ground pork, garlic, vegetable oil, fish sauce, oyster sauce and ground black pepper. Add 5 whole eggs. For the remaining 2 eggs, separate the yolks and set aside in a small bowl. Add the egg whites to the meat mixture. Combine the meat mixture, blending all ingredients well.
Preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C). Spray non-stick cooking spray into an 8 inch by 8 inch baking dish and place inside a 13 inch by 9 inch baking dish. Place the meat mixture into the smaller baking dish and distribute evenly in the dish. Fill the larger baking dish halfway with boiling water.
Bake the meatloaf for 45 minutes.
Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the meatloaf. It should come out clean. If the toothpick is wet, bake for another 5 minutes and check again for doneness.
Take the yolks set aside earlier and using a small brush, coat the top of the meatloaf with the egg yolks. Turn off the oven. Return the meatloaf to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes with the oven door open. Do not close the oven door. This will cause the egg yolk topping to turn white and you won’t get the beautiful yellow layer.
Serve the Egg Meatloaf with your favorite rice plate.
Refrigerate any remaining meatloaf and enjoy within the week.
Yields: 8 servings
5-Spice Beer Can Chicken (Ga Nuong Ngu Vi Huong)
If you enjoy this Egg Meatloaf (Cha Trung) recipe, you may also like:
Crab and Salted Egg Yolks Meatloaf
Vietnamese Meatballs (Xiu Mai)
Egg Rolls (Cha Gio)
