Khai Jiao (Thai Crispy Omelette with Rice)

Ingredients

• 4 egg
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 2 tsp rice flour
• 1¾ dl vegetable oil
• 200 g white rice
• 3 dl water
• 2 tbsp sriracha
• 2 spring onion, thinly sliced
• 1 fresh chilli, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp white pepper

Method

1. 1.

   Steam the rice — Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then bring it to a boil with the water in a small pan. Clamp on a lid, drop the heat to its lowest setting and cook for 12 minutes without lifting the lid.

2. 2.

   Rest and fluff the grains — Slide the pan off the heat and leave it covered for another 10 minutes so the steam finishes the grains, then fluff them with a fork and keep them warm.

3. 3.

   Beat the eggs to a foam — Crack the eggs into a bowl with the fish sauce, lime juice, rice flour and white pepper. Beat hard with a fork for a full minute until the mixture is pale and completely foamy — that trapped air is what makes the omelette puff. Stir in the spring onions.

4. 4.

   Heat the oil hard — Pour the oil into a wok or a small deep frying pan to a depth of about 1.5 cm and heat it over high heat until it shimmers, around 180°C. A drop of the egg mixture should sizzle up and float within a second.

5. 5.

   Pour from a height — Hold the bowl about 20 cm above the pan and pour the eggs into the centre in one steady stream. The edges will billow up and go lacy almost immediately; spoon hot oil over the top for about 90 seconds until the surface is set.

6. 6.

   Flip and crisp the edges — Turn the omelette over with a wide spatula and fry for another minute, until both faces are deep golden and audibly crisp at the rim. Lift it out and drain it briefly on kitchen paper.

7. 7.

   Serve over the hot rice — Slide the omelette onto the hot rice, cut it open so the soft centre spills out over the grains, and serve with sriracha and the sliced fresh chilli.