Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Taiwanese Oyster Omelette
台式蚵仔煎
Recipe overview
Oysters, translucent potato-starch batter, cabbage and egg form a crisp-edged, chewy pancake served with warm sweet tomato sauce.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 250 g fresh oysters
- 4 piece egg
- 80 g Potato starch
- 160 ml water
- 150 g Cabbage
- 2 stalk spring onion
- 3 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- 3 tbsp Ketchup
- 1 tsp sugar
02
Tools
- knife
- cutting board
- mixing bowl
- small bowl
- frying pan
- spatula
- whisk
- colander
- measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- serving plate
03
Steps
Step 1
Rinse and drain the oysters
Rinse the oysters gently in lightly salted water, remove any shell fragments, drain for 1 minute and blot dry.
Step 2
Shred the cabbage finely
Shred the cabbage about 3 mm wide and halve any long strands so the pancake holds together.
Step 3
Slice the spring onions
Trim both spring onions and slice them into 2 mm rounds; reserve the full amount dry for topping after the omelette is flipped.
Step 4
Mix potato starch with water
Stir half the water into the potato starch to make a paste, then whisk in the rest until smooth.
Step 5
Beat the eggs lightly
Beat the 4 eggs just until combined, leaving a little texture rather than whipping them foamy.
Step 6
Cook the sweet tomato sauce for one minute
Stir all 3 tablespoons ketchup and 1 teaspoon sugar in a small saucepan over low heat for 1 minute, until the sugar dissolves; remove from the heat before it thickens.
Step 7
Heat oil in a frying pan
Heat the frying pan over medium heat, add the oil and swirl it into a thin, even film.
Step 8
Sear the oysters for two minutes
Add all well-drained oysters to the hot oil and sear over medium-high heat for exactly 2 minutes, turning once, until their edges curl and centres become opaque.
Step 9
Pour in the starch batter and add cabbage
Stir the potato-starch batter again, pour it evenly around the oysters, then scatter all shredded cabbage over it. Cook over medium heat for 90 seconds until the edge turns translucent and starts to set.
Step 10
Pour the eggs around the pancake
Pour all 4 beaten eggs in a thin ring around the starch pancake. Tilt the pan to fill gaps and cook over medium heat for 1 minute, until the underside holds together.
Step 11
Flip and crisp both sides
Slide the omelette onto a plate, invert it back into the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Flip once more and cook 2 minutes, until both sides have crisp brown patches and the egg is fully set.
Step 12
Top with spring onion and sauce
Scatter the spring onion over the plated omelette and drizzle the warm tomato sauce in thin lines before portioning.
Common mistakes
- A ninety-second timer undercooks oysters that require two minutes.
- Never flipping leaves the top wet and the base over-browned.
Tips
Stir the starch batter immediately before pouring.
Use a wide plate to invert the whole omelette safely.
