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Fried Eggs with Preserved Turnip (菜圃蛋)
December 18th, 2009Recipes, 30-Minute Recipes, Recipes, Chinese Recipes, Recipes50 Comments
Teochew Porridge Series (潮州粥): Preserved Turnip with Eggs (菜圃蛋)
It’s hard to believe but this time of year, it does get rather cold even here in sunny Southern California. When it’s chilly, I love foods that keep me warm—hot pots, soups, or clay pot dishes. I need the extra warmth to get me through the winter blues…I am a tropical island type of girl.
The recent guest post of Teochew Lo Ack inspired me—Teochew porridge and its scrumptious side dishes might well be the best remedy for me.
Porridge (粥/稀饭) is a popular Chinese mainstay. Known also as congee or “jook” (Cantonese pronunciation), porridge is consumed all over China, Southeast Asia, and wherever Chinese are. My late parents were particularly partial to porridge and I remember vividly my childhood days when my father would take my mother and I to Teochew porridge restaurants in Georgetown, Penang. There was one that we would always go back to—an unassuming late night porridge joint that served only porridge and well over 20 side dishes to choose from. My father would slurp bowl after bowl of plain rice porridge with dishes such as fried eggs with preserved turnip (菜圃蛋), soy sauce eggs (滷蛋), Teochew stewed fish (our favorite!), braised bean curd, preserved vegetable with pork belly (梅菜), salted duck eggs (咸鸭蛋), and the sharp smelling fermented bean curd (腐乳)—humble and modest dishes that pair so flawlessly well with porridge.
With this post, I am starting a Teochew porridge series and mark the start with the popular and delicious fried eggs with preserved turnip (菜圃蛋), a wonderful recipe that requires only two ingredients. If you love Teochew porridge, please leave a comment and let me know your favorite side dishes.
Please also check out my complete photo gallery, shot with my new Canon 5D Mark II.
(Click Page 2 for the Fried Eggs with Preserved Turnip Recipe)
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nice . . .but i usuallu sauteed the radish first before adding the egg. . .maybe the western influnce kot!
arrghhh . . .tis turnip and all this while I thought it was radish – choy poh is radish right?? I do like those braised teochew innards as well but guess its alil diff for US
Yes, it’s also called turnip. It’s the same thing. My packaging says “preserved turnip.”
Yes, correct, you can saute the cai poh first to make it extra crunchy. Mine is the lazy one, HAHA.
I LOVE this dish. I make it quite often. I love to eat it with porridge. Your picture makes me very hungry now.
CT – this is what I call lazy person meal, so fast and satisfying and not fattening. LOL.
Hey, can you share more of these types of recipes? Simple and not fattening. Also, something with more protein, less oil and sugar will help me to lose weight. Thank you.
I love “jook’ !! Especially now since it is cold here.. I will try it with your recipe above. You always make me hungry :) Love the pic you took with the new camera.
Brian
@blew1
Thank you.
I love your pictures – they’re exquisite. Porridge really does bring back memories for me too. My parents used to make a bit of minced pork on the side, with some fried egg chopped into small slivers, and some green onion for taste. Lovely!
I’ve never had preserved turnip, and now I’m curious about it. The dish looks delicious!
Lisa – it’s great, so crunchy and tasty.
I love “Jook” especially now when it is starting to get cold up here. I am going to try your recipe above of the fried eggs next time I make it.
Brian
@blew1
Brian – let me know how it goes!
Hi Bee,
COOL pics with your new camera! This Fried Eggs with Preserved Turnip is one of my favourite traditional dishes. The preserved turnip goes really well with Teochew porridge. We often have it in summers. Our other favourite side dishes with Teochew porridge are fried peanuts and spicy beef shine w/ tofu.
Very refreshing and appetizing !
Yummy side dishes.
YUM!! One of my favourites to eat with porridge. Another one is minced pork with preserved beans (tao cheong) and black beans.
Kelantan Gal – your mention of minced pork with tau cheo and black beans intrigued me. I wanted to know what it is. ;)
Beautiful, beautiful photos bee! I love how crisp, simple and clean they are! Awesome! :)
Kamran – thank you.
Your photos are always so amazingly tantalizing. My fav side dishes are crunchy peanuts, preserved eggs, crispy salt fish and definitely veggies like guy laan,
Was the Penang restaurant inside a hotel? I went to one but it was on the outskirts, not downtown Georgetown. I have to fish out the photos.
Yes, salted fish is always great with porridge. Yum.
The photos look amazing! Can’t wait to see more food shots with your new camera.
When I saw this post I couldn’t believe you posted this recipe up because that’s exactly what my friend cooked for me last weekend. He’s Teochew and suggested I try putting preserved radish in fried egg and serving it with jook. I never heard of this before and was skeptical at first, but once I tried it I was hook. I have so many favorite side dishes to put in jook so I can’t choose just one, but lately fermented bean curd has been my favorite.
Salted Egg, Fu Yue (fermented beancurd?) and Choy Poh Tan are normally the staples when it comes to porridge meals at home.
I detest Black Beans Mackerel though.
I forgot about black beans mackerel, you mean the ones in can, right? I actually love that but almost forgot, thanks for reminding me.
Oooh, love this dish and we make it often at home. But we do add some chopped garlic and occasionally some chili paste too! And a dash or two of fish sauce doesn’t hurt either!
Su-Lin, thanks for sharing your recipe. I learned my recipe from my late mother, that was the way she made this fried eggs with turnip.
This recipe is a classic. So simple, yet immensely satisfying. Brings back memories of my childhood.
I know…I love nostalgic food.
Rice porridge must be a staple of Asian countries. I grew up with Okayu (Japanese). I love eating it with seaweed paste or pickled vegetables (especially spicy hot kimchee). Definitely comfort food and good for our Midwestern winters. :D
Yes, rice porridge is awesome, but I would say that most probably has its roots in Chinese porridge.
Thanks a lot for all the delicious recipes on your site. Truly appreciate the content quality and clear instructions. I am originally from Taiping. My aunt, now 90+ years old, is a Baba or Nyonya. Love her cooking. My wife is Teochew. Her mom’s “Bak Chang” has been the best I have ever eaten. Sad to say none of her children has her recipe. Hope you may be able to provide a Teochew “bak chang” recipe akin to what my mother-in-law used to make. I’ve been living in the Sacramento area since ’79. We can get quite a array of Oriental goods around here.
Again, thanks for your “chook” or “moi” (in Hokkian) recipe. Used to eat it with “chu chiong fun” at a roadside stall in Taiping with my dad. Visited my brother in Penang a two years back. All we did was chomped down all the great food we missed. Makes me want to retire back in Malaysia.
Chilipadi – you should totally retire in Malaysia. I know I would. You will sure have so much fun eating the many great food. :)
Excited about your Teochew porridge series cos’ I’m a sucker for Teochew porridge. Just love it!
Tiga – what is your favorite dish leh?
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Thanks for all the yummy recipes. Hae beea hiam is a must for me when eating Teochew porridge.
We had teochew porridge at home for Sunday lunches. My fav side dish is one you won’t find in the stalls – a mix of taucheo, chopped garlic, thinly-sliced shallots, cili padi and a squeeze of kalamansi lime. I also love fermented bean curd.
Thank you for the familiar photo…it brings back fond memories of having Teochew porridge at home with my family in Singapore. Miss the old Teochew Porridge haunts in Hougang, Singapore. One hawker store in Hong Lim Park, Chinatown – Singapore, is famous for their Teochew Porridge. The only time I use egg with ‘chai poe’ is when I’m frying chinese carrot cake. My other version is mince (ground) pork, chai poe and eggs – omelette…with diced garlic and a pinch of white pepper. It was my mum’s recipe. Hope that all of you will give it a try. It is delicious. Being in USA for my 3rd year is kind of tough…but…I get to cook my own Teochew Porridge – typical Hougang Teochew Perankan style with ah-char.
I like Mui Choy with pork and also minced pork with bean paste with my porridge!
I LOVE YOUR SITE!!
You have amazing recipes that remind me so much of what I grew up eating. I am teochew and we used to eat porridge with side dishes almost everyday when we were growing up, breakfast lunch or dinner. It’s perfect in cold weather. Works great with hangovers too =)
Another ingredient we fry with eggs is pickled mustard greens (chopped). The sweet and sour of the pickled mustard goes really well with the eggs. I also stir fry pork with the preserved turnip, oyster sauce, salt and a pinch of sugar. Brings out the sweetness of the turnips. My mom used to grill squid, shred them and dip them in a sauce of soy sauce, chili-infused vinegar and sugar. Sometimes we will boil pork, slice thinly and serve it in the same sauce. Another favorite is chicken stir fried with julienned ginger, that I cook until crispy. And when I’m feeling lazy, I just eat porridge with Maggi sauce and dried shredded pork that I always have in my pantry. Salty black chinese olives are really good too. After Chinese New Year or a big family holiday dinner, we throw all the leftover vegetables from stir-frys (gai-lan, napa, daikon, mushrooms) along with roast pork, abalone, pork and shrimp to make a stew we call “jap chai” and it is delicious with porridge. It translates to “garbage pot” in teochew bc you throw all your leftovers into one pot to make a dish, instead of being left with a bunch of random dishes or throwing it away.
I can’t wait to see your post on this series and try your recipes. Lol now I know what I’m having for dinner!
Wow I love both the shots and the dishes. Easy,filling, and delicious,what more can one ask for. Thanks for sharing!Happy holidays
How I miss this!! Thanks for the reminder. This is comfort food.
Absolutely right, it is comfort food.
Where do you get to buy this preserved turnip? Is it sold in jars in oriental stores or tell me what I am looking for? Love your website especially the Nyonya one since I am from Malacca !!
Hi Liz, you can get them in Asian stores, no, they are not in jars, but in a clear plastic wraps and it said “Preserved Turnip.”
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Thanks, this is certainly where I’m going to find recipes for those wonderful traditional Asian (Singapore & Malaysian)dishes. I see there are lots of uses with Preserved Turnip. Are these sweet or salty Preserved Turnips?
Salty.