Oyster omelette

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A hawker is making oyster omelette in the Shilin night market, Taipei
A hawker is making oyster omelette in the Shilin night market, Taipei

Oar Jien is a Chinese dish which originated in Chaozhou and Fujian. It is also popular in places with Chaozhou and Fujianese influences such as in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan (where it is often sold in night markets).

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. Depending on regional variation, a savory sauce may then be poured on top of the omelette for added taste.

In Hong Kong, the dish is traditionally made from oysters that are found in drainages near areas of the new airport and some areas of New Territories, but they taste the same as other varieties of oysters. Spicy or chili sauce mixed with lime juice is often added to provide an intense taste.

Shrimp can sometimes be substituted in place of oysters; in this case, it will be called 蝦仁煎, or shrimp omelette.

[edit] Names

Oyster omelette from Chien-Cheng Circle, Datong District (Taipei).
Oyster omelette from Chien-Cheng Circle, Datong District (Taipei).
Oyster omelette and chilli sauce from Newton Food Centre, Singapore.
Oyster omelette and chilli sauce from Newton Food Centre, Singapore.

In the Chinese language, "oyster omelette" is known by various names in different geographical areas.

Chinese name Pronunciations in different spoken variations Geographical areas that use such a name
蚵仔煎 In Taiwanese: ô-á-chian
In Hakka: add Hakka pronunciation here
In Mandarin: kézǎi jiān		 Taiwan and part of Fujian
蚝煎 In Taiwanese: oh-luak
In Cantonese: ho4 dzin1
In Mandarin: háo jiān		 Malaysia and Singapore
牡蛎煎 In Mandarin: mǔlì jiān most areas of mainland China
煎蠔餅 In Cantonese: dzin1 ho4 beng2
In Teochiu: Oh Luah
In Hakka: add Hakka pronunciation here
In Mandarin: jiān háobǐng		 Hong Kong, Macau and nearby area in Guangdong
蠔仔餅 In Cantonese: ho4 dzai2 beng2
In Teochiu: add Teochiu pronunciation here
In Hakka: add Hakka pronunciation here
In Mandarin: háozǎi bǐng		 Hong Kong, Macau and nearby area in Guangdong
蠔仔煎 In Cantonese: ho4 dzai2 dzin1
In Teochiu: add Teochiu pronunciation here
In Hakka: add Hakka pronunciation here
In Mandarin: háozǎi jiān		 Hong Kong, Macau and nearby area in Guangdong
蠔烙   in Chiu Chow Restaurants e.g. in the US

[edit] Ingredients

A hawker is making oyster omelette in the Keelung night market, Taiwan
A hawker is making oyster omelette in the Keelung night market, Taiwan

Each oyster omelette consists of very few ingredients. Though the recipe varies from vendor to vendor, in general an omelette contains.

[edit] See also

 This article related to a type of cuisine is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
 This China-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
 This Singapore-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.