Chunky Eggs & Chinese Chives
韭菜摊鸡蛋
English: Chunky Eggs & Chinese Chives
Chinese: 韭菜摊鸡蛋
Pinyin： jiucai tan jidan
Literal: Chinese chives and fried eggs
In the UK, we tend to be purists with scrambled eggs – slow-cooking them until creamy with just salt and pepper, perhaps a splash of cream if we're feeling indulgent. But Chinese cuisine throws big flavours into the pan, knowing eggs can take it. Pickled vegetables, bitter melon, tomatoes, spicy green peppers are all common, and perhaps the boldest of them all: Chinese chives. These punchy greens taste like a cross between wild garlic and the green part of spring onions, dominating any dish they’re added to.
This recipe isn’t quite scrambled eggs (炒 | chao), nor is it quite an omelette either (煎 | jian). Tan (摊) is a unique cooking method meaning 'to spread out' or 'to fry in a thin layer’. The method is specifically used for eggs or batters that can be spread like a pancake. While it might look like an omelette halfway through cooking, there are key differences: it uses more oil, it cooks at a higher heat, and deliberately develops crispy, browned edges that would be considered overcooked in a French omelette.
Though some prefer to serve this dish whole, I like to break the egg into rough chunks as I flip it. Not only does this create more interesting texture, but these bite-sized pieces are also much easier to manage with chopsticks.
This dish is one of those perfect examples of how quick Chinese food can be. 20 seconds to chop the chives, another 30 to crack and beat the eggs, heat on, oil in the pan, egg poured, fried for 4 minutes, serve. That’s fridge to table in 5 minutes.
Serves 2
Ingredients
50g Chinese Chives - chopped into 2-inch pieces
4 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt into eggs
⅛ teaspoon white pepper into eggs
½ teaspoon sesame oil into eggs
¼ teaspoon light soy sauce
Method
Wash, dry and then chop the Chinese chives into 2-inch pieces. I like to have a mix of white (nearer the roots) and the green tips, but it doesn’t matter too much.
Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the salt, white pepper, sesame oil and whisk.
Add the Chinese chives and stir.
Heat a 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a wok on a medium heat. When hot, pour in the egg mix. Pour over the soy sauce.
Let the egg cook for 30 second and then use a spatula and push at the sizes of the egg mixture so that the liquid egg runs down the crevices and hits the metal of the pan.
Leave the egg untouched for about a minute. You want the underside of the egg to be slightly golden.
Slide your spatula under the egg mix and flip parts of it. Be rough hear, you want to tear large chunks as you turn.
Cook the other side of the egg chunks and when it’s all set and cooked, serve.
