Often mistaken for a breakfast dish due to the English term “omelette”, the Kai Jeow, or Khai Jiao, is generally considered by Thais as a rice topping to create a complete meal or a component of a Sam Rap (family banquet with multiple courses) to accompany a sour dish or to tone down the taste of a spicy sauce.
Also called Thai omelette, it differs from the French one because it is cooked in a lot of oil: the egg mixture is poured from about a meter high into hot oil.
There are many ways to stuff a basic Kai Jeow.
Shallots, spring onions, or proteins like minced pork or chicken, or oysters, crab meat as tasted at the Ton ma yom restaurant during my first week in Ao Nang in October 2024, was filled with pork, like the following recipe: Kai Jeow Moo Sab ไข่เจียวหมูสับ.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Thai
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 4 oz ground pork
- 3/4 tbsp fish sauce (or light soy sauce)
- to taste vegetable oil
Steps
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over high heat.
While the oil is heating, crack the eggs into a bowl.
Add the pork.
Add ¾ tsp of fish sauce (or light soy sauce) to the egg and pork.
Break the yolks and beat them, using deep circular motions.The goal is to beat the egg until you start to see bubbles, so when you fry it, it puffs up and becomes nice and fluffy.
Pour the egg from a slightly higher position gradually decreasing the height to wok level.
Use a spatula to fold the omelette and prevent it from sticking to the wok.
After flipping the “omelette”, cook it again for about 30 seconds, pressing it with the spatula to ensure it’s fully cooked.
When it is golden on both sides and there’s no liquid egg in the center, it’s ready.
Drain any excess oil from the egg.
Serve placed over rice or alongside and with spicy sauce.
