Homemade (Pork) Luncheon Meat

“Enjoy the ‘sinful’ comfort food without guilt now”

Often we liked the canned luncheon meat (or you called it lunch meat/ SPAM), for its remarkably delicious taste and crispness after pan-fried, but for many luncheon meat lovers, you know you can’t have it much or too often due to the preservative, high sodium content, flavoring and MSG in it. You won’t like to give it to your children as well. So, how about a homemade one?! Some homemade version where salt content is adjustable, for a preservative and flavoring free luncheon meat you gonna make at home. :)

Appearance-wise, it resembled almost like the ‘real’ thing. You won’t probably tell it right by having just a glance, or so. :)

Taste-wise, this homemade version have a class of its own. For a zero addition of preservatives and artificial flavoring goodness, this is the best alternative, and so far, the best tasty & healthy luncheon meat home-version.

Texture wise, it’s firmer, for the homemade. Not as soft and smooth as the canned type, but for sure, it would be good enough with some similarities in taste and texture found, I would say.

I loved the homemade version. So did my children. You will, too, for the healthy food lovers, you. :)

Try it, and do tell me if you really liked it.

Serves 3-4
Ingredients
350gm minced pork
1 egg, lightly beaten (only half portion of the egg is needed for meat marination)
2 tablespoons of corn starch or tapioca starch
1 tablespoon of plain flour
3 tablespoons of full cream milk

1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
1 tablespoon of chicken powder
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
Pinch of grounded white pepper

Cooking oil (for pan-frying)

Utensil
1 round glass or metal container (with capacity of 350g)
1 sheet of microwave-use cling wrap

Method
(1) Place minced pork on the chopping board. Chop the pork further till more refine consistency. It takes about 10 – 15 minutes to do so. Then, use your fist to knead the finely minced pork, for about 10 – 15 minutes or until meat texture turns smooth and slightly pasty/ sticky.

(2) Season the meat (with light soy sauce, chicken powder, sugar and white pepper, except for salt) and leave it in the refrigerator overnight or 4-5 hours long.

(3) An hour before cooking, add salt. Use a metal fork to mix. Then, drizzle beaten egg (half portion will do) and press to mix with the fork.

(4) Combine plain flour and corn starch, and then, gradually add and alternate it with milk. Stir and press the meat vigorously during the flour-milk adding process. The consistency of the meat should be in shiny and sticky form now.

(5) Scope the meat paste into the lightly greased round tin/ container. Spread evenly and press firmly on each scoping until all done. Use your palm to press to firm and even out the meat surface. Cover container with the (microwave-proof) cling wrap by just leaving the wrap on the meat surface and steam for 20 minutes over medium heat.

(6) Remove steamed luncheon meat from steamer and let it cool completely before removing the meat from its container. When cooled, slice the meat.

(7) Pan-fry to serve: Heat frying pan with oil over medium fire. Coat both sides of each meat slice with the leftover beaten egg. Pan fry the luncheon meat slices till both sides browned. Serve hot.

1 slice of my pan-fried luncheon meat coated with egg counts about 65kcal.

Tips: You may use pork shoulder part and chop to mince the meat from scratch, if preferred. It will take an hour or so to achieve the texture needed. To me, I wouldn’t have the energy, so I bought home the machine-minced meat, and then, further mince it. You may also try using food processor to blend it.
* May also add chopped ham or bacon to make variations.
* Salt addition, adjust it to your desirable flavor. For stronger taste, adequate amount of salt is unavoidable, but to feed your children, I recommend lesser of such. Increase sugar to 1.5 teaspoon instead, as alternative.
* As this cooking supposed to be all natural and children friendly meal, don’t worry if you are using chicken powder WITHOUT MSG. The chicken powder without added MSG is widely available at major supermarkets.
* May store the luncheon meat in air right container and place it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days long, before pan-frying.