Taiwanese Steamed Pork with Pickled Cucumber, known as Guazi Rou (台式瓜子肉), is another comforting and easy-to-make dish in Taiwanese home cooking. It’s the kind of savoury, rice-soaking dish that appears on family dinner tables again and again, and one bowl of rice is rarely enough.

The dish pairs minced pork with Taiwanese pickled cucumber (脆瓜 or 蔭瓜), steamed together until tender and juicy. The pickled cucumber brings a sweet, tangy crunch that cuts through the richness of the pork, and the juices left in the bowl are perfect for spooning straight over rice.

This dish comes together with just a handful of pantry ingredients, minimal prep, and a steamer, making it an easy midweek dinner as well as a nostalgic family favourite.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Rich savoury juices: perfect for spooning over steamed rice.
Quick to prepare: just mix, shape, and steam, with no complicated technique required.
Customisable finish: add an egg yolk in the centre for extra richness if you like.

Tips for Making This Recipe

Choose the Right Pickled Cucumber : Look for Taiwanese pickled cucumber (脆瓜 or 蔭瓜) at your local Asian supermarket, and don’t mix it up with Western pickled gherkins. The flavour and texture are quite different, and the Taiwanese version is what gives this dish its signature sweet, tangy crunch.
Don’t Skip the Brine : The pickling brine is a shortcut to flavour. Stirring a spoonful into the pork mixture seasons it from within and adds a depth you won’t get from the cucumber alone.
Stir in One Direction : When mixing the pork with the other ingredients, stir in one direction rather than back and forth. This helps the mixture turn slightly sticky, which keeps the texture bouncy and tender once steamed.
Choose Your Fat Ratio : Minced pork with around 10% fat works well, but if you’d like a juicier, more tender result, pork with closer to 20% fat is just as good, if not better.

Final Thoughts

Taiwanese Steamed Pork with Pickled Cucumber is proof that some of the most comforting dishes are also the simplest. Once you’ve made it, don’t be surprised if it becomes a regular in your dinner rotation. It’s the kind of dish that keeps you reaching for seconds, one spoonful of rice at a time.

Taiwanese Steamed Pork with Pickled Cucumber (Guazi Rou) 台式瓜子肉

Wanting

Taiwanese Steamed Pork with Pickled Cucumber is a comforting classic Taiwanese home-style dish. Minced pork is mixed with chopped pickled cucumber, garlic, and egg white, then steamed until tender and juicy. It’s savoury, flavourful, and perfect with a bowl of steamed rice.

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Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Taiwanese

Ingredients

300 g 10% fat minced pork
65 g Taiwanese pickled cucumber (脆瓜/蔭瓜), finely chopped
2 tbsp pickled cucumber brine
5 g garlic, finely minced
3 g ginger, finely minced
10 g spring onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp cooking wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
A pinch of white pepper
1 egg white
2-3 tbsp water
1 tsp corn flour

Instructions

Prepare the Ingredients: Finely chop the pickled cucumber and set aside.
Mix the Pork: In a large mixing bowl, combine the minced pork, chopped pickled cucumber, pickled cucumber brine, garlic, ginger, spring onion, cooking wine, soy sauce, white pepper, egg white, water, and cornflour. Stir the mixture in one direction until the pork becomes slightly sticky and well combined.
Shape the Pork: Transfer the mixture to a heatproof shallow bowl or plate and spread it into an even layer.

Optional: Use the back of a spoon to make a small indentation in the centre if you'd like to add an egg yolk before serving.

Steam: Once the water is boiling, place the dish in the steamer. Steam over high heat for 12–15 minutes, or until the pork is fully cooked through.
Serve: If desired, place an egg yolk in the centre just before serving. Serve hot with steamed rice and enjoy!

Notes

I used 10% fat minced pork for this recipe, but 20% fat minced pork works just as well and will give you a juicier, more tender result.

Keyword Pork, Rice Delight, Steamed