Steamed Pork Patty with Dried Squid – Sybaritica
When I was a law student, I shared an apartment with two other students, one of whom had recently moved to Canada from Hong Kong. Like many Chinese immigrants, he adopted a Western name for himself but his choice, which was Gordon, was rather a poor one as he couldn’t pronounce it. Accordingly, my other room-mate and I re-dubbed him ‘G’…
G. was not a particularly accomplished cook but he had learned a few basic dishes from his mother and, one of these, which he cooked on a regular basis, is the one I am preparing for you today. This preparation represents my earliest introduction to dried squid as a culinary ingredient and I have loved it ever since…
The Ingredients
- 1/2lb. ground Pork;
- ¼ cup reconstituted Dried Squid (see method here);
- 1 small Scallion finely chopped;
- 1 Chinese Black Mushroom, reconstituted and finely chopped;
- ½ tsp. ground White Pepper;
- 1 pinch Salt;
- 1 tbsp. Soy Sauce (plus a bit extra for service);
- ½ tsp. Shrimp Sauce (optional).
The Method
Chop most of the reconstituted dried squid but cut a little into strips for garnishing the patty.
Mix together all the ingredients except for the strips of squid, reserving a little of the green part of the scallion for garnish.
Press the mixture into a dish, smoothing it flat. The mixture will throw off quite a bit of liquid as it steams so make sure the sides are high enough to avoid spillage. Once you have done this, press the strips of squid into the surface in a simple pattern
Put the dish in a steamer and steam for about 20 minutes over moderate heat.
When done, scatter the remaining green onion over top and drizzle on a little extra soy. If you like, you can cut the patty into squares and serve to the table in the steaming dish. As shown in the first picture, I served pieces over rice and poured the steaming juices over everything so that it soaks into the grains for a rich treat. For this particular meal, I also served some slices of my home-made Daikon Kimchi on the side…
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