Today I visit the Tea Garden Restaurant, which is known for its traditional Nan Yang food and beverages. The branch is located at the Aeon Wangsa Maju Mall.
After looking at their menu, I decided to order their Preserved olive vegetables chicken fried rice, which cost RM16.90.
Preserved Olive Vegetable Chicken Fried Rice is a Chinese-style fried rice that uses salted preserved vegetables and minced chicken to create a savory, umami-rich dish. It is commonly served in Chinese cafés and casual restaurants such as Tea Garden.
This fried rice is cooked in a hot wok with rice, egg, minced chicken, and chopped preserved olive vegetables. The preserved vegetable provides a salty, aromatic flavor that spreads through the rice while stir-frying.
The taste is savory, slightly salty, and aromatic, with the preserved vegetable acting as a natural seasoning similar to pickles or fermented greens.
Preserved vegetables have been used in Chinese cooking for centuries as a way to store food before refrigeration. They became famous in dishes like braised pork with preserved vegetables (梅菜扣肉) and later spread into many everyday dishes such as fried rice, noodles, and steamed dishes.
Today, adding preserved olive vegetables to fried rice is a modern café adaptation that combines traditional Chinese preserved ingredients with quick wok cooking.
This dish stands out because the preserved olive vegetable adds a deep fermented umami flavour that normal fried rice does not have.
