Recipe for Vegetarian Vietnamese Steamed Meatloaf (Cha Trung Chay)
We made this delicious vegetarian Vietnamese steamed meatloaf yesterday because we would like to have vegetarian dishes once or twice a month. OH WOW! The meatless meatloaf came out really good; it looked and smelled really delicious and tasty. This vegan meatloaf version is comparable to our Steamed Egg Meatloaf (which is non-vegetarian). In this recipe, we only used firm tofu and various types of vegetable; we consider this dish the healthiest vegan food since we did not add any sugar in the loaf so it has the natural sweetness from the veggies.
If you’d like, you can check out the meat version of this recipe, Steamed Egg Meatloaf (Chả Trứng Hấp)
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| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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- 16 oz firm tofu (one pack)
- 0.35 oz black fungus (soaked in water)
- 1.6 oz glass noodles (aka mung bean noodles, soaked in cool water)
- 1.5 oz carrots (peeled)
- 2 green onions (or leek)
- 1 tsp fermented bean curd (optional)
- 1 tsp seasoning (mushroom seasoning)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp crispy fried onions (or fried shallots)
- 1/2 tsp corn starch
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 1/2 tsp water
- 1 tsp annatto oil
Ingredients
For the Meatloaf
For the Glaze
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- In a small bowl, whisk together all the "Glaze Ingredients" until smooth. Set aside.
- Cut black fungus and carrot into thin strips. Cut noodles into 1 inch portions. Cut green onions (or leek) into thin slices.
- Mash firm tofu until smooth in a big bowl. Add black fungus, carrot, noodles, green onion and the rest of "Meatloaf Ingredients" into the tofu bowl. Mix until combined.
- Pour the mixture into a greased container or a bowl. Use a spoon to press the mixture down tightly.
- Steam for 15 minutes on medium heat. Pour the "Glaze" over the meatloaf and steam for another 5 minutes more.
- Let the meatloaf cool down completely before removing from the container. Cut the meatloaf into slices. It can be served alone or with soy sauce and a few Thai chili slices.
- Enjoy!
In this recipe, we should use the firm or extra firm tofu only. "Don't" use the soft or medium tofu since it will release a lot of water during steaming process; that makes our meatloaf mushy.