Here’s a simple, no-fail recipe for Vietnamese Egg Meatloaf (Cha Trung), often called Egg Cake. In this recipe twist, I show you how to bake the meatloaf instead of steaming it. It’s really easy and the Egg Meatloaf comes out moist and delicious. By the way, this meat mixture is really versatile and used as a filling in many Vietnamese dishes from egg rolls and dumplings to stuffed bitter melon and meat pies. Learn this easy recipe and it will be one you use again and again. Enjoy!
Watch the video for instructions.
Egg Meatloaf / Egg Cake / Cha Trung
Ingredients
1.8 oz bean thread noodles
.3 oz dried black fungus slivers (also called wood ear mushrooms)
4 oz can crab meat
1/4 small yellow onion
3 green scallions
1 lb lean ground pork
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
7 large eggs
non-stick cooking spray
Directions
Soak the bean thread noodles and black fungus slivers in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain the noodles and fungus and set aside in separate bowls.
Drain the canned crab meat using a sieve. Gently press the crab meat with a spoon to remove the excess liquid.
Chop the noodles, fungus, onion and scallions.
In a large bowl, add the noodles, fungus, crab meat, onion, scallions, ground pork, garlic, vegetable oil, fish sauce, oyster sauce and ground black pepper. Add 5 whole eggs. For the remaining 2 eggs, separate the yolks and set aside in a small bowl. Add the egg whites to the meat mixture. Combine the meat mixture, blending all ingredients well.
Preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C). Spray non-stick cooking spray into an 8 inch by 8 inch baking dish and place inside a 13 inch by 9 inch baking dish. Place the meat mixture into the smaller baking dish and distribute evenly in the dish. Fill the larger baking dish halfway with boiling water.
Bake the meatloaf for 45 minutes.
Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the meatloaf. It should come out clean. If the toothpick is wet, bake for another 5 minutes and check again for doneness.
Take the yolks set aside earlier and using a small brush, coat the top of the meatloaf with the egg yolks. Turn off the oven. Return the meatloaf to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes with the oven door open. Do not close the oven door. This will cause the egg yolk topping to turn white and you won’t get the beautiful yellow layer.
Serve the Egg Meatloaf with your favorite rice plate.
Refrigerate any remaining meatloaf and enjoy within the week.
Yields: 8 servings
5-Spice Beer Can Chicken (Ga Nuong Ngu Vi Huong)
If you enjoy this Egg Meatloaf (Cha Trung) recipe, you may also like:
Crab and Salted Egg Yolks Meatloaf
Vietnamese Meatballs (Xiu Mai)
Hi Trang! Do you think this recipe can be done in an Instant Pot on the “Stream” function? Thanks in advance and I’m excited to try this recipe!
I think that’s a fantastic idea Jane. Please let me know how it turns out for you!
Waiting for Trang to come out with Pressure Cooking version.
Hi Trang,
Thank you so much for so generously sharing your cooking talents. I tried this steamed egg meatloaf, and it came out perfect. I brought this dish to our New Year’s Eve gathering, we really enjoyed it. I’m so glad to have found you and your website and can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Take care,
Judy
Hi Judy,
Thanks for sharing your results with me. I am happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe and made it for your holiday gathering. That’s just awesome!
can you use aluminum foil like the one they use in party for baking instead of pyrex?
Hi Lilet,
These aluminum pans will work as well. Enjoy the recipe.
my husband loves this! thanks for sharing the recipe! This is the second time im making your recipe. my meatloaf is in the oven right now! 🙂
Hi Connie,
I am so glad to hear your husband loves this recipe. Appreciate you taking the time to drop me a comment. 🙂
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My pleasure! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll give this and the other recipes a try.
Hi Trang,
L vừa try món này xong, rất ngon và lạ miệng lắm. Thank you Trang nhiều. Hy vọng Trang sẽ hướng đần nhiều món ăn ngon khác.
Hi Linh,
Rất vui khi được biết bạn thành công với công thức này. Mong bạn tiếp tục ghé website và cho biết ý kiến bạn nhé.
Hi Trang,
Thank you for the recipe, I cooked this the first time for my Australian boyfriend’s family and they LOVED it. We had them with broken rice as a meal. Next time I’m gonna dry some orange peels for the marinated Vodka .Lx
‘
Hi Lily,
I am glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. It’s a really easy recipe to whip together and everyone seems to love it. Thanks for taking the time to share your results. Good luck with the Vodka 5-Spice Marinade.
The recipe came out perfect, thank you! I love your site and all the recipes! I can’t wait to try some of my favorites on here.
Hi Kek,
That’s great–thanks for sharing your results. Happy Cooking and let me know if you have any questions. I am happy to help 🙂
I’m so excited to try this recipe! I do not have the 8×8 baking dish but do have the larger baking dish. Would this work with a loaf pan or do I need the smaller baking dish to work?
Thanks!
Hi Kek,
Any baking dish will work just fine. Just check for doneness by inserting a knife or toothpick into the meatloaf. It should come out clean. If you don’t have a larger pan for the water bath, you can fill a separate pan with water and place it below the meatloaf pan. This helps to keep the meatloaf moist while baking.
Good Luck and let me know it turns out for you!
I haven’t had cha trung for about 5 years and have been missing it like crazy. I am a novice cook, and all the other recipes I tried for cha trung has ended up in disasters since they always ask me to steam it and I don’t have the right equipment for steaming. This bake recipe is so easy. The cha trung I made last night with your recipe is just like what my mom used to make, and I was eating it with tears in my eyes because of homesickness. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Hi Ly,
I am so glad to hear you like the recipe and found it easy to follow. Nothing makes me happier than sharing recipes that connect and remind us of our families and our homes. Thank you for sharing your comments and Happy Cooking!
Trang