Part of this blog is supposed to be recreating the food I love when I travel once I get home…but I’ve been a little busy moving Stoli and me back across the country. So this morning, I had groceries delivered, and made the simplest thing I could think of while I planned the rest of my day. This is a five minute meal is great for any time of the day, and it’s suitable for many diet plans such as WW, Paleo, Whole30 and Keto….yeah, not kidding, all of them!
First, what is it? Khai Jiao (ไข่เจียว) can be found all over Thailand at cafes, street stalls, and sit down restaurants. It’s often served over steaming hot rice, and always with sriracha. It’s nothing like the delicate French omelet that you see so many chefs struggle with on all those cooking shows. The last omelet I had in Thailand was at Wat Rong Khun (a.k.a. the White Palace) in Chiang Rai. I paid tourist prices for this simple breakfast and it still only set me back about $1 and came with soup.
The ingredients are simple. Eggs, fish sauce, and an oil of your choice (I like coconut oil.) Some restaurants will add finely diced pork, peppers, and /or onions, but I like it plain. If you haven’t ever cooked with fish sauce (a.k.a. nam pla), I promise it tastes better than it smells. It’s made from fermented fish, and everyone has their favorite brand. I have one friend from Laos that swears by Three Crabs brand, the cook at one of my Thai hotels always used TIPS brand, but both of these also have added sugar. Lately, I’ve been using Red Boat Fish Sauce, made only from anchovies and sea salt, and fermented in wood barrels. Since it doesn’t have added sugar, it’s a great umami-increasing ingredient to keep on hand for a Whole-30 or lower carb diet. Be forewared, it’s salty, and a little goes a LONG way!
Next, let’s talk about sriracha sauce. It’s NOT the super spicy sauce made in California in the rooster bottle with the green cap. Sriracha is actually a sauce that originated in the Thai town of Sri Racha made from chiles, vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. It’s savory, a little spicy, and served all over the country. There are a lot of varieties and brands in Thailand and some of them are available here in the U.S. The one I fell in love with was Shark Brand Medium Hot. In fact, I ate it every morning on my omelet during my first trip to Thailand in 2010. I typically buy it at H-Mart, a Korean grocery store located in many large cities, but you can also get it on Amazon. If you want it SPICY, try the Shark Strong Hot variety.
OK, let’s get to it. Heat up the oil in a small skillet until the oil just starts to smoke (or turn the stove on medium high and let it heat for a couple minutes). You need the whole bottom of the pan to be covered in oil, and not just like the “I used a scant amount” or “I used cooking spray” amount. The key to this is you are going to pan fry it. Crack the eggs, add a splash of fish sauce and beat with a fork. I tend to use three large eggs, but two extra large/jumbo eggs would do just fine as well.
When the pan is ready, stand back and pour in the egg mixture. It should puff up immediately if the pan is hot enough. This is what keeps it from being greasy. If the eggs just sink into the bottom and sit in the oil, you probably need to try again. It will brown quickly. Flip it, let the second side brown and flip onto a plate. I like to throw in a couple handfuls of spinach while the pan is hot and make some sauteed spinach as my side dish. Pour on some of your favorite hot sauce and serve hot.
So, here’s the diet breakdown (and if you’re not doing any of these, serve it like they do in Thailand, over freshly steamed rice):
Keto: Eggs, Red Boat fish sauce, oil, and hot sauce like Frank’s will make this super low carb
Paleo/Whole 30: Eggs, Red Boat fish sauce, compliant oil and hot sauce along with the added veggies (and maybe a starch like some sweet potato) would make this a complete meal
Weight Watchers: Eggs (0), Red Boat fish sauce (0), 1 TBSP coconut oil (7), 1 TBSP sriracha (0), 4 cups spinach (0)
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Khai Jiao: Thai-style Omelet ไข่เจียว
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil (Or use any oil of your choice)
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1-2 tsp fish sauce (nam pla)
- 4 cups spinach (optional)
- sriracha or hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a small frying pan/skillet on high until just smoking
- While the oil is heating, crack the eggs in a small bowl
- Add the fish sauce
- Beat the eggs with a fork or a whisk
- When the oil is hot, pour in the egg mixture. It should bubble up and brown very quickly (30-45 seconds).
- Flip the omelet and brown the second side
- Transfer the omelet to a plate and add sriracha
- Saute the spinach in the residual oil left in the same pan for 1-2 minutes. Season as desired (I like garlic powder).
- Transfer to the plate and serve.
