Give Omelets A Salty Chinese-Style Upgrade With One Overlooked Ingredient

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Omelets are versatile blank slates to which you can add any number of ingredients. And while vegetables are among the most common omelet additions, you've probably never considered preserved vegetables; at least not over here in the Western hemisphere. In Chinese Hakka cuisine, preserved radish is a classic omelet ingredient.

Also known as Chinese turnip or choi poh, preserved radishes are daikon radishes that are salted and dried out in the sun. They have a very salty flavor from the preservation method, a deep umami from being aged, and a tangy, slightly sweet undertone. They're also very crunchy and snappy when eaten fresh. As an ingredient in an omelet, preserved radishes bring a strong salty and savory profile. Combining and cooking them with eggs softens their snappy crunch into more of a firm yet chewy bite, offering a nice textural contrast to fluffy eggs. You can find preserved radishes at Asian markets in both sweet and salty varieties, and some Sichuan brands package them with chilies and other spices. You can also buy preserved radishes pre-shredded — including from Amazon, which saves time. The salty preserved radishes are ideal for an omelet.

To incorporate preserved radishes into an omelet, first wash them thoroughly of their salty brine and dry them so that no water content will affect the texture of the eggs. Mince the radishes, stirring them in with the beaten eggs. Add the egg mixture to a hot pan with oil, cooking over medium low heat until fluffy.

All you need are eggs, preserved radishes, and oil to make a simple yet flavorful Chinese omelet. But you can bring more flavors into the mix. For more aromatic notes, mince garlic and scallions to fry with oil for a minute or two before pouring the egg and radish mixture into the pan. If you don't want to make an omelet, you can also opt for an egg scramble. To that effect, combine two famous Chinese egg dishes by adding preserved radishes to a Chinese tomato egg stir fry for the ultimate umami explosion. Garnish the finished omelet with scallions or fresh herbs like cilantro and a drizzle of your favorite brand of chili crisp. The Hakka omelet with preserved radish dish is usually served with a rice porridge like congee or steamed white rice for breakfast.

Other traditional Chinese dishes that benefit from preserved radishes include all kinds of stir-fried dishes, from pork belly and fish, to noodles, as well as charred green beans like this recipe from Din Tai Fung. Diced preserved radishes will bring the same je ne se quoi sweet and salty umami punch that anchovy paste might add to salad dressings or pasta sauces. Just be sure to rinse and dry preserved radishes thoroughly before using them in dishes as the salt will overwhelm them if used right out of the bag.