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The Fire 50 · cook it at home

Thai crab omelette (khai jiao pu)

20 min · 2 people

Jay Fai's famous omelette is crab bound in egg and deep-fried in a roaring wok until crisp outside and soft inside. At home, a smaller version in a wok with plenty of hot oil.

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The real one

You need

• 200 g (7 oz) lump crab meat, picked over
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 500 ml (2 cups) neutral oil for frying
• To serve: sriracha or nam prik pao, steamed jasmine rice, cucumber

How to make it

1. Mix (5 min): Beat the eggs with the fish sauce, soy, pepper and cornstarch slurry until smooth. Fold in the crab and scallion; it should be more crab than egg.
2. Heat the oil (5 min): Heat the oil in a wok over high heat to 190°C (375°F), until a drop of egg puffs instantly.
3. Fry (4 to 5 min): Pour the egg mixture in from about 10 cm high so it puffs. As the edges set, use two spatulas to roll and fold the omelette into a thick log. Fry, turning, until deep golden and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes; the inside should still be soft.
4. Drain and serve (2 min): Lift onto paper towels for 30 seconds, then slice into thick rounds and serve with chili sauce, rice and cucumber.

Tips

• Very hot oil is the difference between crisp and greasy.
• Use fresh crab rather than canned if you can.
• Fry one omelette at a time.

Chef Amazing's own home version of thai crab omelette, in our words; not any restaurant's recipe.