潮州肉饼 | Teochew Meat Loaf

January 12, 2026

When I was growing up in Guangzhou, every now and then my mom and grandma would bring home Teochew (4hr drive from GZ) meat loaf from the market. These cylinder-shaped loaves would be sliced thin and pan-fried, or cut into strips and stir-fried with noodles or vermicelli. Simple, comforting, and very much a taste of home.

After moving to the States, I never imagined I’d eat it again as I thought no merchants or restaurants would sell these low profit margin food. Until one day, I came across a video showing how to make Teochew meat loaf from scratch on Red Note. Of course, I had to try.

Funny (and painful) enough, the very first day I made it was also the day I broke my food processor, desperately trying to grind the meat as fine as the video showed. I was low-key heartbroken this processor had been with me since the pandemic in 2020. I “adopted” it from my partner, I felt bad for breaking his food processor.. it had been such a great helper for me and my parents. During their short visit, the food processor left such a strong impression on them especially after they used it to blend dumpling fillings, it saved my dad a lot of time standing around chopping ingredients enough for wrapping 100+ dumplings to stock up their daughter’s freezer.

As if that wasn’t enough, I also fractured my ankle on the same day (June 1st 2025), which led to nearly a month in bed and another month becoming very close friends with my crutches. Two memorable (but not exactly ideal) events, both tied to my very first attempt at Teochew meat loaf, somehow making this dish even more meaningful beyond childhood nostalgia.

Despite all that, the meat loaf turned out delicious. My Teochew friends who visited loved it so much they took the leftovers home.

During my recovery, I watched more cooking videos and learned a few key lessons: don’t overwork the food processor, don’t let it overheat, and always keep the meat and processor bowl icy cold before grinding. A lower temperature helps the meat emulsify faster into that signature elastic, almost “liquid” texture. To avoid breaking another low-power processor, I eventually upgraded to a 1000W Ninja food processor (NOT AN AD), and since then, every batch has been a success.

The recipe turned out to be much easier than I expected and now I can recreate a beloved childhood delicacy anytime and share it with friends.

Ingredients

500g pork leg meat (hind leg preferred)
25g tapioca flour
10g salt
1g baking soda
1-2g ground white pepper
120g ice cubes
10–20g fried onion

Instructions

Step 1: Thaw the pork for 1–2 hours. When it’s still partially frozen but slightly soft on the outside, separate the lean meat from the fatty part and cut both into ~4-5cm chunks. Keeping the meat cold helps achieve a springy, elastic texture and emulsify faster.
Step 2: Transfer the lean meat back into the freezer. Use the food processor to pulse the fatty meat into small chunks (~0.5 cm). This adds a chunky texture to the loaf. Remove and set aside.
Step 3: Add the lean meat, tapioca flour, salt, baking soda, white pepper, and ice cubes to the food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds until everything is ground. Then pulse in 10-second intervals, stopping each time to scrape down the sides. Repeat for a few minutes until the mixture emulsifies and becomes almost “liquid”-like and stretchy when pulled apart.
Step 4: Add back the fatty meat and fried onion. Pulse for another 10 seconds until evenly mixed, or mix them thoroughly by hand with a spatula.
Step 5: Lightly oil a flat plate or container. Press the meat mixture in firmly, making sure there are no air gaps.
Step 6: Place the plate or container in a steamer over cold water. Steam for about 40 minutes, then let it cool. The center may puff up during steaming but will flatten and slightly shrink as it cools.
Step 7: Slice the meat loaf into 0.5cm slices and pan-fry over medium heat until both sides are golden. Or, slice into thin strips and stir-fry with vegetables, vermicelli, noodles, whatever you like. Always more ways than one to enjoy the meat loaf!