Kai Jiew Moo Sub: How to make Pailin Chongchitnant's Thai Pork Omelet, which is 'perfect for a solo meal'

If kai jiew is not already a go-to dish for you, Pailin Chongchitnant's Thai Pork Omelet may very well make it one. The recipe, from the author and YouTuber’s new cookbook, Sabai: 100 Simple Thai Recipes for Any Day of the Week, is a great meal if you're dining solo, but you can scale it up to feed a few, or round it out with other dishes. “Tom yum soup is a classic pairing with Thai omelet,” Chongchitnant told us — try her recipe for Chicken Wing Tom Yum from her cookbook or the recipe for Tom Yum Goong on her site. “You can even pour some tom yum broth on the omelet, too.”

Thai Pork Omelet

Kai Jiew Moo Sub | ไข่เจียวหมูสับ

By Pailin Chongchitnant

If I had to choose a national dish for Thailand, this would be a strong contender. In its simplest form, it requires nothing but eggs and fish sauce, and yet it manages to be so delicious and nourishing for the soul. It is our “nothing else to eat” or “dorm life” dish, which can be found in every culture, I’m sure. You can omit the ground pork for a truly basic kai jiew, but the meat and green onion make for a more substantial meal that doesn’t seem quite as desperate. You can get fancy by adding oyster sauce, chopped onion, or white pepper, but using only fish sauce is the original formula. I’ve provided recipes for two versions; the two-egg is perfect for a solo meal—for one of those alone and lazy nights—and it’s also much easier to flip an 8-inch (20 cm) omelet than a larger one. The three-egg version is great for two people or for sharing as part of a bigger meal.

Notes: 

If you are using different-sized eggs, you will need to adjust the amount of fish sauce accordingly. A large egg in North America weighs about 2 ounces (56 g).

Ground chicken or shrimp can also be used.

For a meatless omelet, use 1 teaspoon (5 ml) fish sauce for every 2 large eggs.

Eye-balling fish sauce: Most of the time, if I'm cooking for myself, I eyeball the ingredients, as I'm sure many of you do. But speaking from past experience, use measurements for the Thai Pork Omelet. It is so hard to get the right number of glugs of fish sauce, and because fish sauce is so potent, half the time I'd end up with an omelet that was too salty, which is frustrating and not really fixable. After too many salty omelets, I decided to stick to a formula. The ratio in this recipe is a good one to stick with, but you may need to adjust depending on the brand of your fish sauce and the size of your eggs, or if you're adding other fillings.

Ingredients

For a 3-egg omelet (10-inch/25 cm skillet):

• 3 large eggs (see note)
• 4 oz (115 g) ground pork (see note)
• 2 tsp (10 ml) fish sauce (see note)
• 1 green onion, chopped (optional)
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) neutral oil

For a 2-egg omelet (8-inch/20 cm skillet):

• 2 large eggs (see note)
• 2.5 oz (75 g) ground pork (see note)
• 1¼ tsp (6 ml) fish sauce (see note)
• 1 small green onion, chopped (optional)
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) neutral oil

For serving:

• Jasmine rice Sriracha-style hot sauce

Preparation

In a small mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a fork until no streaks of egg whites remain. Add the ground pork, fish sauce and green onions, and mix until the pork is all broken up.

Place a nonstick skillet over high heat and add the oil; there should be enough oil to evenly and generously coat the bottom. Wait for the oil to get very hot. Test the oil temperature by dropping a small amount of egg into the oil; it should puff up excitedly right away.

Pour the eggs into the pan and quickly scramble the center of the eggs for 5 to 8 seconds; this will allow the omelet to cook more evenly. Don’t stir the edges, so that you keep a nice round shape, and don’t stir for too long or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs.

Turn the heat down to medium and cook the omelet for about 3 minutes, until the underside is well browned and it’s set enough to flip; the top will still be a bit runny, which is okay.

Flip the omelet. If you’re so inclined, toss the pan to flip the omelet in one piece. (A tip: if you’ve never pan-flipped before, this is not the dish to experiment with!) For a “safer” flip, use your spatula to cut the omelet into 3 wedges, like a pizza, then flip them with the spatula one piece at a time.

Cook the second side for about 2 minutes, until well browned and cooked through. Serve immediately with rice and hot sauce.

Serves 1 or 2. 

Excerpted from Sabai by Pailin Chongchitnant. Copyright © 2023 Pailin Chongchitnant. Photographs by Janis Nicolay. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.