Macheng Steamed Fish and Pork Cake 麻城肉糕

Macheng Steamed Fish and Pork Cake (麻城肉糕) is the Macheng (麻城) version of rou gao (肉糕), a steamed cake from Hubei that is, for all its name meaning "meat cake", mainly made of fish. Macheng and Chibi (赤壁) are the two places named in Chinese Wikipedia as best known for it.

How it is made

The body of the cake is fish that has been skinned and boned and minced, with a little minced pork added, and only the fat of the pork is used. Both are worked down until they become a paste. The paste is mixed with egg white and a small amount of starch, water is added to loosen it, and it is then stirred thoroughly until fine air bubbles are worked all the way through.

The mixture is steamed in a steamer basket. While the cake is still hot, its surface is coloured with egg yolk, which gives it a yellow top; it is then sliced and arranged on a plate. The finished cake is fresh-tasting, tender and soft. The steps take time, and Chinese Wikipedia notes that this is why rou gao is hard to come by on ordinary days.

Where it comes from

Rou gao is a traditional dish with strong local character in Hubei and is an essential main dish at the Spring Festival family dinner, at weddings and at birthday banquets; there is even a local term, rou gao xi (肉糕席), for a banquet built around it.

Macheng falls within the Han-Mian (汉沔) branch of Chu cuisine (楚菜), the Hubei cooking of Wuhan, Xiantao, Xiaogan and Macheng. That branch comes from flat country with many lakes, and it is especially noted for its fish cooking, its steamed dishes and its simmered soups.

Questions before you order

Is Macheng Steamed Fish and Pork Cake mostly pork?

No. Fish paste is the main ingredient; only a little minced pork fat is added, along with egg white and starch, and the cake is steamed and glazed with egg yolk.