Cha Trung Hap (Vietnamese Steamed Egg Meatloaf)

5 from 29 ratings

Cha Trung Hap (Vietnamese Steamed Egg Meatloaf)

This is a yummy traditional egg meatloaf that is often served with rice or in broken rice dishes like Com Tam Bi. It is made with egg, ground pork, wood ear mushrooms, and a variety of sauces and seasonings.

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Keyword: cha trung hap, cha trung hap recipe, Vietnamese steamed meatloaf

Servings: people

Calories: 271kcal

Author: Becca Du

Equipment

Ingredients

½ lb ground pork
½ oz cellophane noodles rehydrated
2 oz wood ear mushrooms rehydrated, minced
2 stalks green onions minced
½ oz cilantro minced
7 large eggs
1 tsp fish sauce
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp granulated sugar
¼ tsp sesame oil
¼ cup water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Coat a 8x4 loaf pan with oil. Use any neutral oil you can find.
Combine all the ingredients into a bowl except for 2 of the eggs. With the remaining eggs, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and add the egg whites to the bowl of ingredients. Whisk together the ingredients and pour into the prepared loaf pan. Set aside the loaf pan and egg yolks.
Prep your steamer. Bring water to a simmer and add your steamer attachment on top. Put your loaf pan in the steamer. Make sure you can remove the loaf pan from the steamer after it’s done cooking. Sometimes, I like to put an upside down bowl at the bottom of the steamer to create a stand for my loaf pan. This makes it easier to remove.
Steam for 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, poke a few holes in the meatloaf to check if it’s done. If liquid seeps out of the meatloaf, cook it for a few minutes longer until no liquid comes out.
Whisk the egg yolks from step 2 and pour it on the meatloaf in an even layer. Steam for another 5 minutes to solidify the egg yolk.
Remove from the heat and let it sit for 20 minutes before cutting into it.
Serve with a side of broken rice, pickled vegetables, and nuoc cham.

Video

Notes

Update 6/15/25 - Retested and increased the eggs to 7 from 6.
What to do if your meatloaf is undercooked? - Believe it or not this happens a lot. There are a lot of variables that can throw off your cook time. 1) Your steamer doesn't reach a high enough temperature. 2) The size and shape of your bowl can affect cook time. If your meatloaf is undercooked and you can't put it back in the steamer, put it in the microwave for a few minutes until the center is cooked through. Water will come out of the center if it's not cooked through.
Store this in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Nutrition