Thai Crab Omelette
Kài-jiiao Bpuu ไข่เจียวปู




Serves Four
Ingredients:
Two large Blue Swimmer or Horse crabs (bpuu máa ปูม้า) picked and seasoned with Tabasco and fresh lemon
20g palm sugar (nám-dtaan น้ำตาล)
Three tablespoons fish sauce (nám-bplaa น้ำปลา)
12 eggs (kài ไข่)
350ml Olive oil (nám-man-má~gɔ̀ɔk น้ำมันมะกอก)
100g pea shoots (nɔ̀ɔ tùua หน่อถั่ว)
100g bean sprouts (tùua-ngɔ̂ɔk ถั่วงอก)
Garlic chives (hɔ̌ɔm-lék
grà~tiiam หอมเล็กกระเทียม)
Thai basil leaves (bai hǒo-rá~paa ใบโหระพา)
Coriander (bai pàk-chii ใบผักชี)
Two long red chillis, (prík พริก) cut thinly
To Serve: Dash of oyster sauce (sɔ́ɔt-hɔ̌ɔi-naang-rom ซอสหอยนางรม)

Method:
Put the palm sugar and fish sauce in a pan, heat gently until they form a syrup. Leave to cool.

In a bowl, break the yolks of the eggs with a fork but don't beat. Add the fish sauce and palm sugar mixture, stir gently.
Warm a wok and add half the oil (make these omelettes in two batches).
Heat until oul starts to shimmer but not smoke andpour in half the egg mixture, stirring just before it goes in.
The eggs will fluff up. Don't disturb them, just leave for about two minutes, then flip the omelette and cook for another three minutes.
Lay two clean tea towels flat. Drain the excess oil out of the wok, and lay the omelette onto one of the towels.
Repeat to make the second omelette.
Sprinkle some pea shoots, beansprouts and garlic chives down the centre of each omelette, followed by the crab meat.
Now roll each one up, picking up the end of the towel closest to you and drawing it over the top of the omelette, so it starts to roll up.
Use the tea towel to tuck in the edge of the omelette, and continue to roll up tightly, so the filling is completely enclosed.

To serve:
Turn the rolled omelettes so the seam is underneath, trim the ragged ends and cut each omelette in half at an angle.
Lay them on a plate and finish with some crab meat.
Garnish with the basil, coriander and sliced red chilli.