
Salted Egg & Pork Patty Clay Pot Rice
咸蛋肉饼煲仔饭 · xián dàn ròu bǐng bāo zǎi fàn
咸蛋肉饼饭 is the Cantonese home-cooking answer to a dinner that needs no side dishes. The pork patty seasons the rice as it steams, and the salted egg does the rest — one raw yolk cracked on top turns into a rich, sandy sauce that you stir through everything at the table. Every Hong Kong household has its own rule about whether the egg goes in raw or pre-cooked.
Recipe author: HǎoWèi Test Kitchen
Home-cooking research team
Reviewed by HǎoWèi editorial team · Last updated 2026-08-29
Ingredients
- jasmine rice, rinsed茉莉香米,淘洗🏮 asian220 g
- ground pork, 20% fat猪肉糜,二成肥🛒 local300 g
- salted duck eggs, raw生咸鸭蛋🏮 asian2 eggs
- light soy sauce生抽🏮 asian20 ml
- oyster sauce蚝油🏮 asian15 ml
- cornstarch玉米淀粉🛒 local8 g
- fresh ginger, finely shredded鲜姜,切细丝🛒 local15 g
- scallion, sliced小葱,切葱花🛒 local25 g
- white pepper白胡椒粉🏮 asian1 g
- neutral oil食用油🛒 local20 ml
jasmine rice, rinsed: Rinse until the water runs clear, then drain well
ground pork, 20% fat: Lean pork makes a dry patty; ask for shoulder or hand-chop pork shoulder yourself
salted duck eggs, raw: Raw salted eggs sold in the Asian grocery refrigerated case, not the cooked vacuum-packed kind
cornstarch: Binds the patty so it does not crumble when you spoon it out
neutral oil: Some goes in the pork, some films the pot for the crust
🌶️ Adjust to your taste
Pick a level and we'll show exactly how much to change — no more "适量".
Spice level
Saltiness
Oiliness
Make it vegetarian
Instructions
1Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then leave it to drain in a sieve for 10 minutes while you mix the patty.
淘米沥水
🔍 Look for 10 分钟 · 10 minutesVisual: 米粒呈哑光的白垩色而不再半透明;筛网滴下的水不再浑浊Grains look chalky-white and matte rather than translucent; no cloudy water drips from the sieve
You know it's right when: 晃动筛网不再有乳白色液体滴出Shaking the sieve produces no milky liquid
2Mix the pork with light soy, oyster sauce, white pepper, cornstarch, half the ginger and 1 tbsp of the oil. Stir in one direction for 2 minutes, then slap it against the bowl 8–10 times.
单向搅打上劲
🔍 Look for Low heat 3 分钟 · 3 minutesVisual: 肉馅变得发黏、颜色转浅,整团能脱离碗壁,提起勺子能立尖The mixture turns sticky and pale, pulls away from the bowl in one mass, and holds a peak when you lift the spoon
You know it's right when: 摔打时有柔和的啪啪声,按压后不再散开The paste makes a soft slapping sound and no longer separates when pressed
Slapping is not theatre. It aligns the protein strands so the patty bounces instead of crumbling.
3Tip the drained rice into the clay pot with 300 ml (1¼ cups) water and 1 tsp oil. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring once to stop the grains sticking.
砂锅下米加水
🔍 Look for Medium heat 6 分钟 · 6 minutesVisual: 水色乳白,整个锅面都在沸腾,不只是锅边Water is milky and boiling across the whole surface, not just at the rim
You know it's right when: 锅中央持续有气泡冒出破裂Bubbles break through the middle of the pot continuously
4Flatten the pork into a 2 cm-thick disc that fits inside the pot, lay it on the rice, and crack the two salted eggs on top. Cover and drop to the lowest heat. Cook 18 minutes.
铺肉饼磕咸蛋
🔍 Look for Low heat 18 分钟 · 18 minutesVisual: 蒸汽从盖边稳定冒出;生蛋黄凝成暗橙色的半球,肉饼定型并略微收缩Steam pushes steadily from under the lid; the raw yolks have Set to a dull orange dome and the patty has firmed and shrunk slightly
You know it's right when: 肉饼边缘没有积水,水位已降到饭面以下No watery liquid pools around the patty edge and the water line has dropped below the rice surface
Press a shallow well into the centre of the patty before cracking the eggs — it keeps the yolks from sliding off.
5Without lifting the lid, raise the heat to medium-low and cook 8–10 minutes until you catch a faint toasty smell.
小火逼锅巴
🔍 Look for Medium-low 10 分钟 · 10 minutesVisual: 蒸汽变稀薄,气味从清米香转为坚果与微烟熏味Steam thins to wisps and the aroma shifts from clean rice to something nutty and slightly smoky
You know it's right when: 锅底传来轻微的干裂爆声A faint dry crackle comes from the bottom of the pot
6Off the heat, rest 5 minutes covered. Open, scatter the remaining ginger and the scallion, then break the yolks and fold everything together from the bottom up.
静置拌饭
🔍 Look for Low heat 5 分钟 · 5 minutesVisual: 米粒油亮琥珀色、裹着起沙的蛋黄;刮开锅底能掀起整片金黄锅巴Grains are glossy amber and coated in sandy yolk; scraping the bottom lifts a golden sheet of crust
You know it's right when: 勺子在底部感受到阻力,翻上来是硬挺脆片而不是散粒The spoon meets resistance at the base and comes up with a rigid, crisp layer rather than loose grains
Tips
- · Salt adjust last: the salted egg seasons the whole pot, so taste after folding, never before.
- · 20% fat pork is non-negotiable — lean mince steams into a dry, crumbly puck.
- · If you only have the cooked vacuum-packed salted eggs, halve them and lay them cut-side down for the last 6 minutes.
Sources & references
Quantities, technique notes, and substitution ratios are cross-checked against established Chinese cookery references and standard food-science sources.
- Read our editorial policy
- Fuchsia Dunlop, Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking
- USDA FoodData Central — ingredient nutrition and portion data
- Traditional Chinese family-kitchen practice and regional taste records
Common questions
Is there a vegan substitute for oyster sauce?
Yes — 'mushroom oyster sauce' (often labeled vegetarian/vegan) is sold in most Asian grocers and increasingly in mainstream supermarkets. It behaves 1:1 and adds the same glossy umami. Watch labels if you're also gluten-free; most brands are GF, some aren't.
Source: HǎoWèi substitution engine
What's the difference between light and dark soy sauce?
Light soy (生抽) is the everyday salty seasoning — thin and salty, used in most recipes. Dark soy (老抽) is thicker, darker, slightly sweet, and used mostly for color (braises, fried rice). If you only buy one, get light soy. For dark soy's color: 1 tbsp light soy + a pinch of sugar + a few drops of molasses.
Source: HǎoWèi pantry guide
Why do you cook the aromatics (garlic/ginger) first on low heat?
Aromatics contain oils and sugars that turn bitter if scorched. Gentle heat (low-medium) lets garlic and ginger release their fragrance without browning too fast. If the pan is too hot, garlic goes bitter within seconds — that's why we always add aromatics first, before the main ingredients.
Source: Chinese Cooking Demystified technique library
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