Cha Shao Omelette

Today Wey will cook his favorite cha shao jen dan or cha shao omelette (CSOM) for you. He said to tell you to use plenty of oil, which is why his mom, who first showed him how to cook this dish, doesn't cook it for him anymore. He has to fry it himself, usually when he gets back from school and provided that his older bro has not found the cha shao he stashes in secret pockets of the fridge. He said the best way to eat the CSOM is with plain rice, in front of the TV watching anime or Spongebob. A glass of iced Chinese tea will be perfect too now that his mom doesn't allow any fizzy drinks in the house.

CSOM is a very popular dish in instant stir-fry coffeeshops and restaurants in KK, where you can order stir-fries of your own combination of meat and veg. The most popular of these places are the coffeeshop Wah Juan in Tanjung Aru, the restaurant below Ang's Hotel in town, Friendly Restaurant in Bundusan and most of the Beaufort-type restaurants like Beaufort and Man Tai. Other than the horrendous amout of oil in the dish, I am also put off by the price for a small omelette the coffeshops charge--RM6 to 8/US$1.90 to 2.50--as the cost for 2 eggs is only 80 sen/US quarter, and a small sprinkle of cha shao hardly costs much too.

Although simple, most people can't do a good CSOM at home. This is because you must do what the restaurants do:

1. Get your wok SMOKING HOT;
2. Use plenty of oil, preferably with some pork oil;
3. Use msg;
4. Never cook more than 2 eggs at a time or the wok will not be hot enough.
5. Eat immediately before the fried souffle falls.
6. Work quickly.

This recipe will give you a 95% restaurant-perfect CSOM. The 5% is due to the lack of pork oil, which gives it a delicious aroma and taste.

A little undercooked, but that's how he likes it.

Cha Shao Omelette (1 serving)
2 eggs
2 T cha shao*, chopped
1/2 T spring onions, chopped (optional)
1/4 t salt, a dash of white pepper,two dashes of msg
1/4 cup oil*

* Wey said to make ambrosiac CSOM, the cha shao should have some fat...
** Add some pork oil if you don't mind the cholesterol. If you really really don't mind the oil, go with half a cup...the restaurants use much more and I find their oms too greasy.

1. Crack eggs into a small bowl, add the salt, pepper, msg and beat well. You can add the cha shao now, or in Step 2.

2. Heat up a wok, add the oil and when it smokes heavily (the hotter the puffier your omelette), pour all the egg into the middle of the oil. The sides will puff up like a Dutch pancake. Scatter the chopped cha shao and spring onions (if using) all over. The wok heat is kept very high all the time, but make sure the omelette doesn't burn, which means you have to work fast and lift the wok up if it starts to burn.

3. When the omelette is nearly not runny except for the middle, turn over and let it fry for 10 seconds and dish out. Eat immediately, with some tomato ketchup if like. Goes with plain rice.