Pork patty with preserved mustard

Ingredientsserves 4

Method

1. Soak the preserved mustard about an hour, open every leaf under the tap to rinse out the sand, squeeze dry, cut off the hard stems and chop finely.
2. Toast the chopped mustard in a dry wok over low heat until fragrant, toss with a little sugar and sesame oil, and let it cool.
3. Chop the pork by hand to a coarse mince (or use bought mince); mix with soy, sugar, cornflour, wine, pepper and sesame oil, then add three or four tablespoons of water a spoon at a time, stirring in one direction until it is absorbed and the meat turns sticky.
4. Fold in the water chestnut, ginger and the cooled mustard; rest twenty minutes (some families two hours).
5. Press into a shallow, wide plate about 2 cm deep; the thinner it is, the more evenly it steams.
6. Steam over fully boiling water on high for twelve to fifteen minutes until the juices run clear; scatter spring onion and serve with the juices, which go over the rice.

Take care

• Contains soy and wheat. Pork must be cooked through: no pink in the patty and the juices running clear; a thick patty needs longer than fifteen minutes. Preserved mustard is very salty, so go easy on added salt.

The story

Preserved mustard is the Hakka pickle of Huizhou, the Tuqiao grade the prized one, and it entered the Cantonese home through braised pork belly with mustard; this is its cheap everyday cousin. The pork patty family is the backbone of the Hong Kong weeknight: the same seasoned mince steamed with mustard, salted fish, salted egg, baby squid or mushrooms, and HK01 collects fourteen of them. Hand-chopping is the generational argument: grandmothers chop, mothers buy mince.

Same technique

Steamed whole fishSpare ribs in black bean sauceSteamed egg custard

Lo Fo Tong is cultural food-heritage reference, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, unwell or on medication, talk to your doctor or registered practitioner before changing what is in the pot.