Oyster omelette

The oyster omelette or oyster cake, also known as o-a-tsian (Hokkien ), o-chien (Hokkien: ) or orh luak (Teochew ; Peng'im: o5 luah4), is a dish of Southern Min (Hokkien and Teochew) origin that is renowned for its savory flavor in its native Minnan region and Chaoshan, along with Taiwan and many parts of Southeast Asia, such as Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia or Singapore, due to the influence of the Hokkien and Teochew diaspora.

Ingredients The dish consists of a starchy egg batter with a filling primarily composed of small Pacific oysters. The starch (typically sweet potato starch) provides the dish with a chewy texture. Pork lard is often used to fry the resulting omelet. Depending on regional variations, a savory sauce may then be poured on top of the omelette for added taste.

Spicy or chili sauce mixed with lime juice is often added to provide an intense kick. Shrimp can sometimes be substituted in place of oysters; in this case, it is called shrimp omelette ().

Names In different Chinese languages, the "oyster omelette" is known by various names in different Chinese geographical regions. Chinese namePronunciations in different spoken variationsGeographical areas that use such a name蠔烙 In Teochew: o5 luah4 In Mandarin: háo lào/luòIn Chaoshan region and overseas communities connected to the region.蚵仔煎 In Hokkien and Taiwanese Hokkien: ô-á-chian In Mandarin: kézǎi jiānSouthern Fujian, Taiwan, and Philippines蚵煎 In Hokkien: ô-chian In Mandarin: hé jiānSouthern Fujian, Malaysia, Singapore, and Philippines牡蠣煎 In Hokkien: bó͘-lē-chianIn Mandarin: mǔlì jiān Most areas of mainland China海蠣煎 In Hokkien: hái-lē-chianIn Mandarin: hǎilì jiān Southern Fujian蠔煎 In Cantonese: hòuh jīn In Mandarin: háo jiān Chaoshan, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia煎蠔餅 In Cantonese: jīn hòuh béng In Hakka: Tsiên-hàu-piáng (Pha̍k-fa-sṳ) In Mandarin: jiān háo bǐng Hong Kong, Macau and neighboring Liangguang蠔仔餠 In Cantonese: hòuh jái béng In Hakka: hàu-tsái-piáng (Pha̍k-fa-sṳ) In Mandarin: háo zǐ bǐng Hong Kong, Macau and the Pearl River Delta蠔仔煎 In Cantonese: hòuh jái jīn In Hakka: hàu-tsái-tsiên In Mandarin: háo zǐ jiān Hong Kong, Macau and the Pearl River Delta

Styles Oyster omelettes can be broadly classified into two categories, namely, Hokkien-style omelettes and Teochew-style omelettes. The former is popular in Minnan and Taiwan, while latter is the usual style seen in Hong Kong and Chaoshan areas. The two styles of oyster omelettes are also different in terms of key ingredients used. The former uses chicken eggs and a mixture of sweet potato flour, tapioca flour and/or cornstarch as the batter; the latter uses duck eggs and sweet potato flour The cooking processes are slightly different too, as the Hokkien ones are deep-fried, while Teochew-style ones are usually pan-fried.

Thailand In Thailand known as hoi thot (; lit: "fried shellfish"), it was adapted to mussel omelettes (hoi malaeng phu thot, ), though the original oyster version (hot nang rom thot, ) also popular but more expensive. In Bangkok, notable areas for oyster omelettes include Talat Wang Lang near Siriraj Hospital and Wang Lang (Siriraj) Pier in Bangkok Noi where there are two restaurants, Yaowarat neighborhood, where there is one Michelin-Bib Gourmand restaurant with Charoen Krung neighborhood in Bang Rak, among others. In 2017, the World Street Food Congress announced that oyster omelette is one of the three most notable street foods among the street foods of Thailand.

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Oyster omelette

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