Thursday, March 27, 2014

Vietnamese Style Meatloaf

"Wanna eat pho?" Common question, don't you think?  Sure, I enjoy steaming, hot, brothy soups, but it is not my first choice when enjoying a quick meal.  Blasphemy you say?  Ha, I disagree!  

The grilled pork chop and rice platter remains my standard in any Vietnamese restaurant.  For an extra charge, one can add a fried egg and/or a Vietnamese style meatloaf/quiche, also known as Cha Trung.  Do not skip out on the additions as the cost is still low for the amount of food.  Once eating this amazing treat, I set out to learn how to cook the Vietnamese style meatloaf/quiche.  

Basically, it is a combination of a meatloaf with eggs poured on top, giving it a nice layer of fluffy goodness and a beautiful look.  It is much lighter than an American meatloaf and can be simply eaten with rice or vermicelli.  Add some nuoc mam, and you will have a great lunch!

Cha Trung- Meatloaf

1lb. ground pork
1 bundle vermicelli, soaked in warm water 8-10 minutes
1/2 cup dry fungus, soaked in warm water 20 minutes
4 large eggs
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp fish sauce

In a large mixing bowl, combine pork, vermicelli, fungus, 2 of the eggs, salt, and fish sauce.  Mix well and pour into a pie pan or loaf pan.  Beat the reserved eggs and pour on top of the meat mixture. 


If you do not have a bamboo steamer, place a grate inside of a pot and add some water to create a stovetop steamer.  Steam for about 30-40 minutes.  Alternatively, bake in a water bath at 375 for about 45 minutes.  Let it cool, then remove and slice.  

In the pictures below, I show one with the pie pan, then the finished product was in a loaf pan.  Both work very well.