What's up everyone?
Today we're making
Fish Omelettes!
My name is Randy
And we are the Laus
We're on a mission to celebrate
And pass down our Chinese heritage
One meal at a time
After 50 amazing years as a Chinese chef
My dad's finally retired
And he's here to teach you all of his secrets
To make the perfect Fish Omelettes
A dish he's made hundreds of times.
Hello, my friends!
Nice to see you guys again!
The dish that we're going to introduce today
Is easy to make and full of nutrients
We’re making fish omelettes!
It's great for both kids and adults!
The fish must be boneless.
As for what kind of fish you need to use? That's up to you.
We'll be using around 7 oz fish.
My dad is using swai fish here
But the recipe works with many different types of fish
Shrimp, and other seafood.
You can also make this with oysters
Which is a very popular Hokkien and Teochew dish
In restaurants and night markets throughout Southeast Asia.
Also known as basa or panga
Swai is a popular type of catfish also native to Southeast Asia.
As with all types of meat and seafood, if you have the means and ability
It's helpful to consider buying from sustainable sources.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium manages a really helpful service called "Seafood Watch"
Which gives us consumers a bunch of recommendations
On making our purchases in a more environmentally friendly way.
We'll cut the fish first.
For the fish, you can choose to cut on an angle like this
But I choose to cut it like this.
First, we'll cut it into sections.
Okay, I'll cut it this way
So the fish won't break apart when used for pan frying later.
I cut it this way because the grain is horizontal
So I cut the small strips vertically (with the grain).
Of course, you can choose to cut it against the grain
But I choose to cut with the grain.
So basically, my dad creates several big slices
By cutting perpendicular to the spine,
And then he turns each of those slices
And creates smaller strips by cutting parallel to the spine.
This results in a more tender bite.
We’ll put the fish into a bowl after we’re finished cutting them.
We'll add 1/4 tsp white pepper into the fish.
And also 1 tsp cornstarch.
Then, add 1/2 tsp salt to enhance the flavor.
Mix it well.
Okay, the fish is mixed evenly with white pepper and cornstarch.
We'll set them aside for now.
Next, we'll cut some green onions
Just 2 will be enough.
Cut into small pieces.
Now, let's prepare the eggs.
We'll use 5 eggs for this dish.
After cracking all the eggs, add 1/2 tsp salt into it.
There's no need to add too much salt into the eggs.
We'll also add 1/4 tsp white pepper into the eggs.
We have all of these ingredients listed on our blog at madewithlau.com
Along with step-by-step instructions and video clips
To guide you as you make the recipe at home.
We've prepared all the ingredients.
Now, we'll cook the fish with boiling water before cooking them with the eggs.
Why do we use boiling water to cook?
Boiling water can shorten the cooking process.
If I used cold water
The coating on the fish would dissolve, right?
If I use boiling water
The fish is still coated when it's cooked.
The fish cooked this way will be more tender.
Can't you stir fry the fish?
It won't be as good, son
Because the eggs cook fast.
So we'll cook the fish in boiling water first, then it'll be tender.
We'll let the fish cook for about 1.5 to 2 minutes
Gently moving the fish around as we go.
I also wanted to make a special shoutout to thank all of our
Wonderful Patreon supporters to help bring this video to life.
If you enjoy our videos and are interested in supporting us directly,
Head on over to patreon.com/madewithlau to learn more!
All right, the fish is cooked now.
Can you see the fish has turned white?
We'll use a colander to drain the water.
The fish is cooked, right?
Then, we'll wipe the pan dry with a clean cloth.
Now, we'll start to pan-fry the eggs.
We'll beat the eggs first.
Is there any special technique for beating the egg?
There really aren't any skills involved in beating eggs.
You just have to beat them until the egg whites and yolks are combined.
If you don't beat it enough
The whites and yolks aren't combined and the omelette won't look as nice.
I have a question, if some people are like…
“You have to do it with chopsticks!”
I usually use chopsticks.
For those who don't use chopsticks at home, they can use a fork to do it
How can I say…
Yeah, all the different spokes.
-Because they're all separated in the head -Beating egg is easier with fork
It's like having 4 chopsticks!
Yeah, 4 chopsticks.
♪Laughter♪
Okay, we're done beating the eggs.
Next, we'll be heating up our pan for about 2-3 minutes on high heat.
We'll start to fry the eggs now.
We'll add 1 tbsp corn oil.
Spread the oil around the wok evenly.
A good sign that both our pan and oil are hot enough
Is if the oil starts shimmering, or forming ripples across the surface.
Pour in some of the eggs.
Before cooking the eggs, turn down the stove to medium heat.
The eggs should immediately sizzle after being poured into the pan.
Let it rest and cook for about 15-30 seconds before adding the fish.
If your eggs do stick, is your dish pretty much ruined?
It won't look as nice, but it's certainly edible!
You still can eat it, it just doesn't look as nice.
You need to use a spatula to scrape it out.
So Daddy, like you mentioned before
You'll have to heat the pan first before adding the oil.
Yeah, make sure the pan is heated.
Add oil after the pan is hot
And add the eggs only after the oil is hot enough, right?
Yeah.
So what do we call this?
In the restaurants, we call it máahng yàuh yúhn wō
Which means heat the wok until it glows red before adding oil to it.
Then, turn it to low heat to pan-fry.
It definitely won't burn that way.
Ohhh.
Only add in the oil after the wok is glowing red
And wait for the oil to be heated to…
The oil will be hot enough once you pour it into the wok
So you only need to turn down the heat slowly and pour in the eggs.
Okay, once the bottom is cooked
We'll add the fish into the pan slowly
And make sure they are evenly distributed on the surface.
Add the chopped green onions into the eggs.
Whisk the eggs and pour it into the pan.
After pouring the rest of the eggs into pan
Let it cook on this side for about 3-4 minutes before flipping.
Okay, we can start to pan-fry it.
Like with most omelettes
Notice that my dad is barely stirring or touching the eggs.
Add 1/2 tbsp oil to the perimeter of the eggs.
Why add it to the edges?
If you add the oil in the middle, it will stay there
We want to distribute the oil evenly on the bottom of the pan when pan-frying eggs.
Don't pour the oil on top of the eggs.
Few questions about cooking the eggs
How do you not burn it?
You must not pan-fry the eggs for too long.
Pay attention to it if you don't want it to burn
Look under the omelette from time to time, as I just did.
If it's golden brown, then it's cooked.
Lightly pull the omelette up
It's really simple.
Pay more attention to cooking it well.
A few more minutes and I'll flip the omelette.
How do you know when to flip it?
Use a spatula to lift the omelette and check the bottom.
If it's golden brown, then you know it's time to flip it.
When we lift the pan, the whole omelette will move, right?
We'll move the omelette onto a plate.
Next, we'll get ready to flip the omelette.
Before that, we'll add 1/2 tbsp oil to the pan.
Let me show you how to flip the omelette.
After flipping the omelette, we need to spread it out on the pan.
How do you flip the omelette to ensure it doesn't break?
This requires a bit of skill.
The one I did is not perfect either
You need to be quick.
Because I made a big omelette
If it were smaller (3-4 eggs), then it'd be much easier.
I made more because we have more people eating, so it's harder to flip.
If you were frying 4 eggs or less, then you just have to be quick when flipping.
Or like when it has too much stuff too, the eggs can't bind?
My dad's is a little too heavy but he still salvaged it.
Because he's your dad!
He's my dad!
♪Laughter♪
Okay, press down on the omelette.
We'll add some oil to the sides again.
In total, after flipping, we'll be cooking the omelette on this side
For about 3-5 minutes until the bottom has turned a nice golden brown.
After flipping, we need to press down on the omelette.
Why do we need to press it down?
Because the bottom is uneven, there are pieces of fish
That's why we need to press it down.
Let's check if the bottom is cooked.
See? It's golden brown, right?
Okay, it's cooked!
To transfer the omelette onto a plate, we'll be using gravity.
Cover the pan with a plate
And then flip the pan upside down onto the plate.
The omelette should fall nicely onto the plate,
Which we can then cut up and serve to our loved ones.
Okay, the fish omelette is ready to serve!
Hong Doy, time to eat!
Oh my god! What a feast!
So we have sweet and sour pork
Which we have a recipe for
Stir fried green beans
Which we also have a recipe for.
-Wow! -Yes!
This goji berry soup is made from the goji berries I grew.
Cheers! Let's feast!
Eat eggs!
You said "sihk daán for this one?
Nice?
It's really easy.
We have a lot of questions.
Oh good.
A lot of people, including Cheryl from Patreon
-Asked about… -Hey Cheryl.
How do we get the eggs to be fluffy and silky?
You don't get that kind of texture with pan-fried omelettes.
You'll get that texture if you stir-fry the eggs.
Let's say we're stir-frying 4 eggs
Add 1 tbsp oil into the eggs and beat them.
Stir-frying eggs typically requires more oil, you know?
It can't be done with less oil.
So it's the same for this egg?
Pan frying and stir frying are different, son.
The one here is pan fried?
Yeah, this is a pan fried egg.
For stir frying, you need higher heat and quicker movements.
This way the eggs will be tender, smooth, and fluffy
When you're pan frying, you don't move the food very much
You just touch it lightly every now and then
Not as much movement.
But for stir frying, you have to keep flipping the food
You're moving around more.
Just like stir fries, we have to keep stirring it, right?
Pan fry and stir fry is different.
Okay.
This is pan fried.
Yeah.
Stir fry is like when we're cooking gai lan, bok choy
That is stir frying.
Okay.
So what is the difference when you're doing the egg?
You don't move this a lot.
Ok, yeah, makes sense.
Stir fry, you're stirring it.
Pan fry, you just let it stay on the pan.
Turn it slowly.
With pan frying, the food is more fragrant.
See, it's golden brown, right?
Stir fried eggs aren't golden brown like pan fried eggs.
But stir fried eggs are more tender, the texture is different.
Do you understand?
Because the stir fry is more "waaht", more tender.
More tender, yes.
♪Laughter♪
I like more pan fried because I don't like my eggs as wet.
Pan fried will have more crunch.
Yeah, I like crunchy.
Yeah crunchy, this is crunchy.
Like this chicken is pan fried, it's more crunchy than stir fried.
Another very popular question from Ashley and Chuan-Li.
What kinds of seafood can you use?
You can use many kinds of seafood.
Fish, shrimp, squid, whatever you like to use.
It's what I always say, you don't have to follow 100% of my recipe.
You can add your favorite foods to the recipe.
Yeah, you can use fish, shrimp, crab, oyster, etc
But we choose fish because it's more…
It fits more to our daily diet and it's easy to get.
It's also good for kids and elderly, basically everyone.
But actually you can use a lot of things, even vegetarian.
You can use corn, beans or any kinds of vegetables that don't contain much water.
I have a question, so I had…
When I was in Taiwan, I had this with oyster and it was really popular.
In China, did you guys have this kind of dish?
And also what was the most popular filling?
In China, the big cities will have it and less in the countryside.
There may be more now
But there wasn't anything like this when I was in China.
We had pan fried eggs, but not with fish or seafood.
Most of the time, we fried eggs with bean, string beans or other vegetables.
We didn't really fry eggs with fish.
And uh…
At least in America, lots of time we have eggs and omelette in the morning.
For this dish in China, is it more of a dinner, lunch?
It's really uncommon to eat this for breakfast in China.
Breakfast should be fast and convenient.
It's too much of a hassle to pan fry an egg.
Stir fried eggs are faster, just a short while and it's ready to eat.
This dish has a lot of fish and eggs
And it tastes good.
In Cantonese, we say "hóu sung faahn"
Which means it's very easy to eat together with rice.
Yeah.
For those who do not eat out during their lunch break at work
This is a good dish to bring as their lunch to work.
You can save a couple pieces
And put it in a lunch box together with white rice.
Want to go sit with Yeh Yeh (Grandpa)?
With this egg, it's perfect, right?
♪Laughter♪
Let Yeh Yeh hold you.
Now I'm better!
He said, ‘give me your mic!’ Huh?”
You wanna get mic’d up?
Hong Doy, good boy!
♪Laughter♪
Hello, dear friends and audience!
Thanks for watching today’s video!
Fish Omelettes!
Thank you so much!