Oyster omelette recipe – quick and easy main course

Oyster omelette, also called oyster pancake, differs according to where you eat it, and from cook to cook.

In Singapore and Taiwan, it tends to be sticky and stretchy due to the addition of sweet potato starch; in other places, the oysters are barely held together by the most delicate of batters, and they are deep-fried, rather than pan-fried. Sometimes, the tiniest baby oysters are used, while other cooks choose plumper, larger and more succulent oysters that are about 3cm (1¼ in) long.

Restaurants tend to serve neat, perfectly circular oyster omelettes while the street-food versions made by hawkers – who often cook several orders at once on a large flat griddle – can look a little messy, even if they are just as delicious. My version looks more like the hawker omelettes.

An un-enamelled cast-iron skillet is the best pan for getting the desired crisp edge and bottom of the omelette, which contrasts with the soft interior. The crispness is harder to achieve using a non-stick skillet. It is important that you don’t crowd the pan; I make mine one at a time in a 30cm (12 in) skillet. If you are serving more than one person, and you want to eat at the same time, use two skillets or a large griddle.

This version was taught to me by Tass, an excellent Thai cook. It doesn’t contain sweet potato starch (also called sweet potato flour), although you can add it if you like – use it sparingly, in place of some of the cornstarch. Tass says that in Thailand, the omelette is usually made with mussels, and it’s called hoi tod (fried mussels). I prefer it with oysters.

The recipe uses Gogi or Kogi powder – Thai brands of tempura flour that are different from Japanese tempura flour. Buy the plain, unflavoured Gogi/Kogi powder. If you can’t find this powder, use plain (all-purpose) flour.

I use frozen oysters that are about 3cm (1¼ in) long, but if you don’t mind the higher cost, you can also use small fresh oysters.