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Thai

Khai jiao (Thai omelette)

Non-vegetarian

ไข่เจียว · khai chiao

Eggs seasoned with fish sauce and poured into very hot oil so they puff into a crisp-edged, fluffy omelette — a quick Thai comfort food eaten over rice with chilli sauce.

Khai jiao (Thai omelette) is a Thai egg dish from Thailand, ready in about 7 minutes and made with egg, fish sauce and lime juice. It serves 2 and is rated easy to cook.

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Delicious Thai omelette with rice and chili sauce garnished with cilantro and cucumbers.
Photo: UNDO KIM / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
3 min
Cook
4 min
Total
7 min
Serves
2
Level
Easy
Calories
449

Ingredients

2 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Beat the eggs (opens in a new tab) with the fish sauce (opens in a new tab) and lime juice (opens in a new tab) (and spring onion (opens in a new tab), if using) until very frothy.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil in a wok (opens in a new tab) until shimmering and very hot.

    Food safety: Hot oil spatters when the eggs go in — pour from a low height and keep your face back.

    Ingredients tossed in a hot wok
    How it looks · Photo: Aesthos AR. Photography on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Pour the eggs (opens in a new tab) into the centre of the oil from about 20 cm above so they puff dramatically. Fry until the underside is golden and crisp, then flip with a spatula and fry the other side briefly.

    • 1.5 min
    • high heat

  4. Step 4

    Lift out, drain on paper towels and serve at once over rice with chilli sauce (opens in a new tab).

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Thailand · Commonly attributedMore food from Thailand
    Dish
    Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Egg dishes · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Shallow-fried
    Taste
    savoury, salty, rich
    Diet
    Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
    All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style
    Without the optional extras: No added sugarWith the listed swaps: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Ovo-vegetarianWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Everyday · Budget-friendly · Child-friendly · One-pan
    Cook more with
    Egg · Fish sauce · Lime juice · Long-grain white rice
    Techniques
    Shallow-frying

    Allergens

    • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
    • Contains, can be adapted: Fishfrom fish sauce
    • May contain: Crustaceansfrom fish sauce

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    449 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 162 g · recipe makes 2

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 14%
    • Carbohydrate 55%
    • Fat 31%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy449 kcal277 kcal
    Protein14.9 g9.2 g
    Carbohydrate60.7 g37.5 g
    Net carbohydrate59.7 g36.9 g
    Sugars0.5 g0.3 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre1 g0.6 g
    Fat15.1 g9.4 g
    Saturated fat3 g1.9 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol279 mg173 mg
    Sodium342 mg212 mg
    Salt equivalent0.9 g0.5 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    200 mg
    Calcium
    64 mg
    Iron
    4.6 mg
    Magnesium
    33 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    120 µg
    Vitamin C
    0 mg
    Vitamin D
    1.5 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.7 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    327 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: spring onion, chilli sauce (sriracha-style).
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • A wok's curved base pools the oil so you need less of it than in a flat pan.

    Common mistakes

    • Oil that is not hot enough gives a greasy, flat omelette.

    Serve with

    • Over jasmine rice with sriracha — a classic Thai late-night meal.

    Storage

    • Best eaten immediately.

    Variations

    • Khai jiao moo sap: Mix a little minced pork into the eggs before frying.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 3, 4

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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