Oyster omelette


The oyster omelette or oyster cake, also known as o-a-tsian, o-chien or orh luak, is a dish of Southern Min 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 an omelette with a filling primarily composed of small Pacific oysters. Starch is mixed into the egg batter, giving the resulting egg wrap a thicker consistency. 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/luò		In Chaoshan region and overseas communities connected to the region.
蚵仔煎In Hokkien and Taiwanese Hokkien: ô-á-chian
In Mandarin: kézǎi jiān		Southern Fujian, Taiwan, and Philippines
蚵煎In Hokkien: ô-chian
In Mandarin: hé jiān		Southern Fujian, Malaysia, Singapore, and Philippines
牡蠣煎In Hokkien: bó͘-lē-chian
In Mandarin: mǔlì jiān		Most areas of mainland China
海蠣煎In Hokkien: hái-lē-chian
In 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
In Mandarin: jiān háo bǐng		Hong Kong, Macau and neighboring Liangguang
蠔仔餠In Cantonese: hòuh jái béng
In Hakka: hàu-tsái-piáng
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, it was adapted to mussel omelettes, though the original oyster version also popular but more expensive. In Bangkok, notable areas for oyster omelettes include Talat Wang Lang near Siriraj Hospital and Wang Lang 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.