The best fluffy crab-filled omelette you will ever make!

Despite my numerous trips to Bangkok, I have never had the chance yet to eat at Jay Fai, the Michelin-starred chef known as the Queen of street food in Thailand! Due to her huge popularity, there’s a very long wait to get a table at her eponymous eatery in Phra Nakhon district and almost impossible to get someone on the phone to make a reservation

In Thai language, “Jay” is an endearing term for “Auntie” and “Fai” literally means “mole”. Indeed Jay Fai has several moles on her face and neck, but she’s most iconic for wearing her cool ski cap and goggles while she cooks over hot coals.

I was ravenous after watching the Netflix “Street Food” serie episode about Jay Fai making her famous giant crab omelette shaped like a huge burrito.

With the pandemic-related travel restrictions, I can’t just jump on a flight to taste Jay Fai’s famous wok-cooked seafood, so the next best option is to team up with Jeremy and make it at home. Since her recipe is top secret, this recipe is what we imagine her dish would be like… All I can tell you is it’s the best omelette that we have tasted!

The recipe only calls for a few simple ingredients, but of course the hero is crabmeat! To do honor to this dish, we have used Alaska King Crab meat (from Costco), but you could also use canned crab meat. I would recommend using high quality wild-caught crab meat, this dish is definitely worth it!

The other key ingredient is tempura flour, which makes the omelette super fluffy and crispy on the outside. Avoid adding the tempura flour directly into the eggs as the mixture will be clumpy.

Ingredients for 1 omelette (2 servings)

5 eggs

1 heaped tablespoon of tempura flour

2 cups of crab meat

salt and pepper

3 cups vegetable oil for deep frying

Garnish: Coriander, chili.

Serve with steamed rice and chili sauce and/or fish sauce (optional).

Method

In a large bowl, crack 3 eggs and whip till frothy. Scoop about 1-2 tablespoon of beaten egg into a small bowl, add the tempura flour, mix well till smooth, add back in the large bowl of beaten egg, mix well. Add the crab meat, salt and pepper, stir just to mix.

In a cup, crack 2 eggs and whisk till blended – This is used to seal the omelette after folding over.
Heat the oil in a large wok or frying pan till very hot. To check if oil is hot enough, put a drop of egg mixture into the oil, it should sizzle immediately. Stay away from the frying pan as the oil may splash.

Slowly tilt the large bowl so the egg mixture is poured into the hot oil in the frying pan, but the crab mixture is still in the bowl. Carefully pour the egg mixture in the middle of the egg puddle in the hot oil. Using 2 cooking paddles, scoop the hot oil over the open faced omelette several times, so both the top and bottom of the omelette are fried. Now carefully fold over the omelette and use the 2 paddles to push the sides so it’s shaped like a burrito instead of half circle. Pour the reserved beaten eggs in the cup little by little in spots to seal any opening. Don’t worry if the shape is not perfect, it will be delicious all the same!
When the omelette is golden all over, carefully remove and place on a plate lined with paper kitchen towel to drain the oil
Place on a serving plate, garnish with coriander and chili, and serve immediately with steamed rice (or fried rice) and chili sauce or fish sauce.

This is seriously so delicious and makes for an extremely savory and satisfying meal!

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