Taiwanese Oyster Omelette

Method

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1. Stir the ketchup, sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, sugar, cornflour and water together in a small pan. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until glossy and slightly thickened. Keep warm.

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2. Whisk the sweet potato starch and the 100 ml of water until smooth. The starch settles, so stir it again just before you use it.

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3. Pat the oysters dry with paper towels and season them with the white pepper.

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4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 26 cm non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oysters and cook for 30 seconds, until they begin to firm.

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5. Stir the starch mixture again and pour it over the oysters, tilting the pan to spread it. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the batter turns translucent and firm.

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6. Scatter the spinach on top, pour over the beaten eggs and cook for 2 minutes, until the egg is nearly set.

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7. Drizzle the remaining oil around the edge and flip the omelette with a wide spatula, or fold it in half, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the underside is crisp and the egg is set.

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8. Slide onto a plate, spoon over the sauce and scatter with the spring onion. Eat at once.

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Chef’s Tips

• Stir the starch batter every time before you pour it. It sinks to the bottom of the bowl in seconds.
• Use a non-stick pan, and let it get properly hot, so that the batter sets and does not stick.
• Oysters are cooked through in this dish, but buy them fresh and keep them cold until you cook them.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onion? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the chilli in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.

Pairing Suggestions

• A cold beer
• Pickled cucumber
• Hot jasmine tea

Storage & Reheating

Best eaten straight from the pan. The starch turns stiff and rubbery as it cools, so it is not worth keeping.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.