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.    

 

Red Rice

Here is a simple dish that can be made with basic pantry items.  After researching my beef items, I noticed that this is commonly served with bo luc lac (shaking beef).  Since I wanted to make bo luc lac, I decided to add this as a side item.  I used broken jasmine rice, but you could use any rice and make it delicious.  I am a huge fan of eggs in my fried rice, so I added  a good amount of wonderfully fresh farmer's eggs.  


Red Rice

3 cups rice (day old)
2 tbsp sesame oil

3 oz. tomato paste

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tsp nuoc mam
3 eggs, scrambled

Using a large skillet, heat up the sesame oil and add the garlic.  Fry for a minute and add the rice.  Stir fry until blended well, and add the tomato paste stirring vigorously.  When it is thoroughly blended, add the nuoc mam.  Turn the heat down a little and make a well in the middle of the pan.  Pour the eggs in the well    and scramble.  Then fold the eggs and rice together.  Check for seasoning.