Egg Omelet with Minced Pork & Preserved Radish 煎蛋角

If you love eggs you'll love this egg dish!  My grandma 奶奶 used to make this special treat for us sometimes when she had a moment to spare.  It was such fun to eat these little egg wrapped meat pockets...I would always use my hands to eat it when grandma wasn't looking!  

There's something so satisfying about the tender light texture of the egg wrapped around all that tasty meaty goodness...it's comfort food at its best.  This traditional Chinese Egg Omelet with Minced Pork & Preserved Radish 煎蛋角 is a simple pork filled egg omelet flavored with the unique sweet salty umami of Chinese fermented radish.

And just what is Chinese preserved radish 菜脯 also known as Choi Poh or preserved turnip?  It is Chinese white radish 白蘿蔔 or daikon that is salted, fermented and sun dried.  The transformed vegetable lasts forever, has a chewy umami packed salty sweet flavor and a great crunch.

Actually the Chinese have many many kinds of preserved vegetables.  So many I find it kinda of confusing at times.  It's a legacy from the past when no refrigeration was available so vegetables were preserved by application of salt and sun until they fermented and become something transformed in both taste and texture as well as in longevity.

The flavor of preserved vegetable is very much intensified, making most preserved vegetables very useful for adding strong flavor accents and textures to your cooking.

Cornstarch and water

Eggs with cornstarch added

This is a simple dish with a few tricks up its sleeve for ease of cooking.  A bit of starch is added to the egg batter to protect against breakage of the delicate egg skin as the omelet is made.  

The minced pork is fried with the preserved radish until cooked through.  

Once the egg batter is poured in add a spoonful of the cooked pork & preserved radish.  Don't add in too much or it will be hard to fold over.  

By the time you've got the pork on the omelet it's time to close it up.  Use a spatula to fold the egg in half and press gently on the sides of omelet to seal.  You've got to work pretty quickly.

Before you know it you'll have yourself a row of golden little pork and preserved radish filled egg omelets.  Great as one dish in a Chinese style dinner or as a snack or even as school lunch for the kids; just grab and eat...yummilicious!

Egg Omelet w/ Minced Pork & Preserved Radish
煎蛋角
(makes 7-8 omelet pockets)  Prep time: 10 mins  Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

• 3.5 oz minced pork, 100g
• 3 tbsp sweet preserved radish 菜脯, 50g
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp white pepper

Directions:

Add 2 tbsp water to the cornstarch, mix and let settle.  When the cornstarch is settled to the bottom pour off the water on top.  

Add salt, sugar to minced pork, stir in one direction until mixed and let marinate for 10 mins.  Mince the preserved radish.

Heat up cast iron pan (or other non stick pan) until hot over medium heat.  Add in 1 tbsp oil, then pork and turnip.  Stir fry until the meat is cooked.  Remove from pan, then clean the pan.

Beat eggs.  Add in cornstarch and mix in well.  Heat pan over medium heat, then add 1 tsp oil and swirl to spread oil out.  Give the egg batter a stir then pour one tbsp into pan then swirl to form a 4" diameter circle.  (Don't worry if it's not a perfect circle, it will be easier as you make more. ) 

Add 1 tbsp of the pork radish mix on to one side of the omelet.  Use spatula to fold omelet in half over the pork.  Press gently on the edges to seal two sides together.  Once the bottom of omelet is lightly browned, flip over and cook other side until lightly browned.  Remove to serving plate.  

Repeat for rest of batter, remembering to stir the batter each time before making the omelet.  Serve hot or cold, both taste pretty darn good!

Eggilicious Delights at The Hong Kong Cookery:

Spring Onion Egg Pancakes 蔥油蛋餅

Stir Fry Eggs w/ Flaked Crab Meat 蟹肉炒蛋

Steamed Egg w/ Mushroom 香菇蒸蛋

Stir Fried Milk 炒牛奶

Preserved Radish Omelette 菜脯煎蛋

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