Cooks always look for an ingredient that magically transforms a dish. My cousin introduced me to a new one recently.

A new form of preserved mustard greens (also labeled mustard cabbage or vegetable) adds a distinctive salty-sweet pungency to simple foods easily and instantly. This new convenience product, Easy Pack Preserved Mustard Cabbage by Shun Fat Yuen and Stone Crane, needs no preparation. It is ready-to-cook, no soaking or chopping needed.

I had used their traditional preserved mustard greens to make the Hakka classic, Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens (扣 肉 梅 菜 kiu ngiuk moi choi or kou rou mei cai). The preserved vegetable contributes a distinctive salty sweet pungency that is essential to balance the richness of the pork in this dish. Traditionally whole heads or trimmed hearts of mustard greens, preserved in salt and sugar, then dried, are used in this dish. To prepare them, soak the vegetable an hour or more to soften, rub to remove salt and grit, then chop.

Consider adding the ready-to-use preserved greens to simple dishes such as stir-fried vegetables, braised or steamed meats, with eggs, cooked with tofu, and in won ton and dumpling fillings. The preserved mustard greens instantly imbue the dish with an extra depth of savory flavor. Look for it in the Preserved/Pickled/Dried Vegetable section of Chinese supermarkets.

This new product eliminates the time-consuming steps, making it easy to use in quick dishes everyday. It’s an ingredient that can magically transform a dish. I especially like it in this Steamed Pork Hash.

Steamed Pork Hash with Preserved Mustard Greens

This steamed pork patty is a comforting and quick dish for a weeknight meal. Often Tianjin or Tienstin preserved vegetable or salted fish season the ground pork. Here, I’ve used the easy pack preserved mustard green to lace it with a deep savoriness. Serve with rice and lightly cooked Chinese broccoli (gailon) or other vegetable.

Makes: 4 servings as a main dish, 6 to 8 servings as part of a multi-course meal

1 pound ground pork
1/2 cup minced shallots or onion
1/3 cup Chinese rice wine (shaoxing) or water
3 tablespoons Easy Pack Preserved Mustard Cabbage by Shun Fat Yuen and Stone Crane
1 large egg
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
Thinly sliced green onions

1. In a 9-inch wide shallow heatproof dish that will fit in a steamer such as a Pyrex pie pan, mix the pork, shallots, wine, preserved mustard greens, egg, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and pepper. Lightly pat the pork mixture into an even layer.
2. Set the dish on a rack over 2 to 4 inches boiling water in a steamer or wok (if bottom is round, place on a wok ring to stabilize). Cover and steam over high heat until the meat is no longer pink in center (cut to test) about 20 minutes. Watch the water level, adding more boiling water as needed. Carefully remove the dish from steamer. Sprinkle with the green onions and serve.