Taste from Grandma Chien's Kitchen

Sometimes simpler is better. When I need some simplicity and comfort, I make my grandma's pork and eggs dish. It's a humbling looking dish but immensely delicious. It's one of her most loved by the family. It's always one of the first dishes to go at the dinner table during any family gatherings. Grandma spoke Ningpo-nese which is a dialect in China. She called this dish niogodei. For years, I have associated the name to the dish as anyone would associate the word tree to the tall brown thing with branches and leaves. As it turned out niogodei is how you say "肉跟蛋" in Ningpo-nese which means "meat and eggs". It's quite a literal description of the dish as it's made only with ground pork and eggs.

All you need to create this dish at home is the following: pork, eggs, water, salt, pepper, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Then you give all the ingredients a quick mix, place in a steamer, cover and voila!

Pork and Egg Custard

Makes serving for 2
1/3 - 1/2 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Pinch of black pepper
3 eggs
1/2 cup water

1. Boil some water in a large pot and place a wired rack on the bottom to create a steamer.
2. Combine pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and black pepper in a bowl, mix with a fork. The bowl should be able to fit inside the steamer. I usually just make this dish in a soup bowl. However, if you are making this for the first time, you may want to mix all the ingredients in a larger bowl then transfer to the one you would place inside the steamer to avoid spillage while mixing.
3. Add in eggs and mix. Then add in the water and keep beating until everything is well combined.
4. Taste the mixture to determine if it is salty enough. Add more soy sauce or salt to taste if required.
5. Cover with foil and place in the steamer. Close the lid and turn the heat to medium and allow it to steam for 20-30 minutes, until the custard has set.

Note: For those who wants more reason to break out their food processors or blenders, this recipe is perfect. Simply put all the ingredients in and press the mix button, pour the mixture in a bowl, cover and steam.