Oyster omelette


The oyster omelette, as known as o-a-tsian, o-chien or orh luak ; Peng'im: o5 luah4) is a dish of Hokkien and Teochew origin that is renowned for its savory flavor in its native Chaoshan and Minnan region, along with Taiwan and many parts of Southeast Asia such as the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore due to the influence of the Hokkien and Teochew diaspora. Variations of the dish exist in some southern regions of China.
In Thailand it was adapted to mussel omelettes; most Thai people have the misconception that oyster omelettes and mussel omelettes originated from Thai cuisine rather than Chinese. In Bangkok, notable areas for oyster omelettes include Talat Wang Lang near Siriraj Hospital; 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 food among the street foods of Thailand.
The oyster omelette is a Taiwanese "night market favorite", and has constantly been ranked by many foreigners as the top dish from Taiwan. Its generous proportions and affordable price demonstrates the trait of night market cuisines. In the Philippines, English language menus often call the dish as "Oyster Cake".

Ingredients

The dish consists of an omelette with a filling primarily composed of small 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		In Chaoshan region and overseas communities connected to the region.
蚵仔煎In Hokkien: ô-á-chiān
In Mandarin: ézǎi jiān		Southern Fujian, Taiwan, and Philippines
蚵煎In Hokkien: ô-chiānSouthern Fujian, Malaysia, Singapore, and Philippines
牡蠣煎In Mandarin: mǔlì jiānMost areas of mainland China
海蠣煎In Mandarin: hǎilì jiānSouthern Fujian
蠔煎In Cantonese: hòuh jīn
In Mandarin: háo jiān		Chaoshan, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia
煎蠔餠In Cantonese: jīn hòuh béng
In Hakka: jien hao biang
In Mandarin: jiān háo bǐng		Hong Kong, Macau and neighboring Liangguang
蠔仔餠In Cantonese: hòuh jái béng
In Hakka: hao zhai biang		Hong Kong, Macau and the Pearl River Delta
蠔仔煎In Cantonese: hòuh jái jīn
In Hakka: hao zhai chien		Hong Kong, Macau and the Pearl River Delta