Teochew Oyster Omelette

Ingredients

• 200g shucked small oysters
• 80g sweet potato starch
• 60ml cold water
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 4 eggs
• 3 tbsp lard, or groundnut oil
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• A large handful of coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp white rice vinegar
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced

Before you cook

• Rinse the oysters gently in lightly salted water and lift them out, leaving any grit behind.
• Drain the oysters on kitchen paper and pat the tops dry.
• Whisk the sweet potato starch with the cold water, salt and white pepper until smooth and thin, roughly four parts starch to three parts water by weight.
• Beat the eggs in a separate bowl just enough to break them up.
• Stir the fish sauce, vinegar and sliced chilli together in a small dipping dish.
• Chop the coriander roughly and slice the spring onions.

Steps

1. Set a flat cast-iron pan or a wok over high heat until it is very hot.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of the lard and let it melt and shimmer across the surface.
3. Give the starch batter a stir, since it settles fast, and pour it into the pan in a thin, uneven layer.
4. Leave it undisturbed for 45 seconds, until the edges turn translucent and start to crisp.
5. Scatter the oysters evenly across the batter and press them in lightly.
6. Cook for another minute, so the oysters warm through without shrinking.
7. Break the sheet into four or five rough pieces with a spatula, which is what gives the dish its mix of crisp and chewy.
8. Push the pieces together in the centre and pour the beaten egg over and around them.
9. Add the remaining tablespoon of lard around the edge of the pan.
10. Cook for 90 seconds without moving anything, until the underside is deeply browned and lacy.
11. Flip the omelette in sections and fry the second side for 1 minute.
12. Scatter over the spring onion and coriander and slide the omelette straight onto a plate.
13. Serve at once with the chilli fish sauce for dipping.